About 5,000 Ukrainians who currently live and work in Italy gathered in Rome to attend the Easter Divine Liturgy celebrated by Bishop Ivan Khoma of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) and 10 other priests in the church of St. Sophia on 5 May 2002. In addition, Ukrainians in more than 40 other Italian cities were able to celebrate Easter in their own language and rite.
Greek Catholics and Orthodox from eastern and western Ukraine participated in the Liturgy in Rome. And, thanks to the work of Fr. Vasyl Potochniak, pastoral coordinator for Greek Catholics in Italy, and numerous Ukrainian priests who are continuing their studies in Rome, “Khrystos Voskres!” (“Christ Has Risen,” the traditional Ukrainian Easter greeting) could be heard throughout Italy. It is expected that Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, head of the UGCC, and popular Ukrainian singers Oksana Bilozir, Pavlo Dvorskyi and others will participate in other celebrations planned for Ukrainians in Italy in May.
Source: “The Ternopil Gazette”