“Radiant before you is the unforgettable example of the martyrs and confessors of the faith, who did not hesitate to pay the ultimate price for their fidelity to Christ and his Church. They represent a constant teaching for everyone. Yes, the Ukrainian land, bathed in the blood of the martyrs, has given to the world the example of steadfast fidelity to the Gospel”. In his message to Cardinal Husar, archbishop major of Lvov, on the occasion of the Assembly of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church now being held to celebrate the anniversary of the Pope’s pastoral visit, John Paul II invited the Ukrainian people to hold fast to the memory of their martyrs for the faith. “You can draw from this spiritual heritage continues the Pope’s message to pursue your mission with renewed apostolic and missionary fervour. In present-day society, in which the search for power, success at all costs, and the selfish possession that makes people insensible to the needs of their fellowmen often seems to prevail, each ecclesial community is called to proclaim and testify respect for the dignity of each human being and the exercise of power not as domination but as service”. In the Pope’s view, there are two main fields of commitment for the Ukrainian Church: the family and the young “who must be helped to feel themselves protagonists in the spiritual and material reconstruction of the country”. Lastly the Pope exhorted the Ukrainian Church, after the many misunderstandings and divisions which have bedevilled its history, to “intensify its efforts of rapprochement and communion”, in particular between the Catholics of the two rites.
