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Ukrainians in London delighted with choice of new patriarch

28.03.2011, 18:51
Ukrainians in London delighted with choice of new patriarch - фото 1
Ukrainians in London expressed their joy at the unexpected news of the election of 40-year-old Bishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk as the new head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. The news of Bishop Sviatoslav’s election by the Church’s Synod on March 25 rapidly spread amongst the thousands of Ukrainians living in London.

sheva2.jpgUkrainians in London expressed their joy at the unexpected news of the election of 40-year-old Bishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk as the new head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. The news of Bishop Sviatoslav’s election by the Church’s Synod on March 25 rapidly spread amongst the thousands of Ukrainians living in London.

Sviatoslav Shevchuk,  who was born in Ukraine and studied in Rome and Buenos Aires, is Ukraine’s youngest bishop and the third youngest among all of the Catholic Church’s 5,000 plus bishops across the globe.

The Ukrainian Catholic Church has a history of electing young leaders with both Metropolitan Andrei Sheptytsky and Patriarch Josyf Slipyj elected at uncharacteristically young ages, with the former being appointed head of the church at the age of 36.

"Ukrainians here in the UK have been sharing their delight at the news of the selection of Patriarch Sviatoslav. The decision to elect a young leader is very uplifting and has made many Ukrainians proud to be a part of a visionary and dynamic Church. We look forward to continue serving the Church under Patriarch Sviatoslav’s guidance and leadership," commented Andy Hunder, director of the Ukrainian Institute in London.

Current estimates show that there are more than 30,000 Ukrainian Catholics living in the UK.

Bishop Sviatoslav’s predecessor Lubomyr Husar stepped down as head of the Church last month due to poor health. Seventy-seven year old Cardinal Huzar is widely recognized as the "leading moral authority" in Ukraine and was one of the cardinals considered "papabile" at the 2005 papal conclave following the death of Pope John Paul II. His Beatitude Lubomyr last visited London in January 2011 for a meeting of the Church’s permanent Synod.