In brief

Card. Husar, the crisis is “societies’ disease” “The ongoing crisis has brought to the fore societies’ illnesses. It’s a crisis of the mind and of the heart that is far worse than the economic crisis. In a word: this disease has affected society as a whole”. Thus declared Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, head of Ukraine’s Greek-Catholic Church in a statement released by the Ukrainian Independent Information Agency (UNIAN).”Recovery from this disease will be possible only if all of us, the young and the old, work for their self-protection as human persons”, His Eminence said. To this regard UGCC promoted a series of initiatives to help the youth “discover their value as persons endowed with dignity, who are called to act for themselves and for others”. “We can’t wait for someone to arrive and solve our own problems. External help is certainly welcome, whether it comes from parents, teachers, the religious or from society. However, fulfillment stems from our inner selves, through the encounter with a person with values and beauty that will trigger profound self-discernment”. “Overcoming the ongoing crisis”, the Cardinal pointed out, “requires a strong sense of responsibility towards ourselves and towards others”.Smoother visa procedures for priests In the past days Ukraine’s Cabinet adopted a resolution aimed at facilitating the entry in the Country of priests from foreign countries, and proposed that MPs endorse the elimination of duty fees on Bibles imported from abroad. These changes will enable foreign citizens entering Ukraine for religious purposes – or as workers in religious institutions who were granted a “P” visa – to extend their stay in the Country to over a year , and not 180 days as happened in the past. The resolution envisages the possibility of extending residence permits to three years for priests. A similar request was submitted to Ukaine’s prime minister by AUCCRO (All Ukrainian Churches Council and Religious Organizations) past July. Yulia Tymoshenko said she would solve the question of the visas during a personal meeting with archbishop Meczyslaw Mokrzyczi who heads the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Latin rite, following the prelate’s request on July 29. 4 religious leaders among the 100 most illustrious UkrainiansUkranian weekly “Korrespondent” described Patriach Filaret, the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP) as “the most influential religious leader in the Country”. The Patriarch ranks 30th among the “top 100” most illustrious personalities listed in the review. Metropolitan Volodymyr ranks 32nd, Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, head of Ukraine’s Greek-Catholic church ranks 54th, while the chief rabbi of Kyiv and Ukraine Yakiv Dov Bleich holds the 59th place. “Although the head of the Church officially holds the second post, unofficially he ranks first, since the faithful view Filaret as a spiritual authority and a committed activist for civil rights. His firm stand in favor of the unity and independence of Ukraine’s Orthodox Church grants him credibility to the eyes of the farmers, who are not religious but who uphold patriotic stances”, the newspaper wrote. As regards Cardinal Husar, “Korrespondent” states that “his flock” “increases every year by at least 1%” and that “in 2008 Greek-Catholics were the third largest religious group in the Country after Orthodox and Protestants”. The review reports that Ukraine’s Greek-Catholic Church (UGCC) “is no longer identified with the Country’s far eastern regions only”, “while the establishment of a Patriarchal church in Kyiv completed the consolidation process of the Church”. According to the authors of the “chart”, this situation is to be owed to the Church leader, “who brings faithful to the church with his moral authority while firmly but relentlessly spreading his influence to encompass eastern regions”. Cardinal Husar, “a scholarly, reasonable and deeply pious man”, the newspaper writes, is characterized by the will to “withdraw from material wealth and politics”. Thanks to these virtues “his influence is felt not only by Greek-Catholic faithful but also by learned Ukranians with patriotic sentiments”.