Ukraine, Italy, Austria

Ukraine: Card. Husar, 10 years at the lead of UGCC “We’re grateful to card. Lubomyr Husar for serving as guide of our Church, a difficult ministry, with a great responsibility, bristling with challenges and obstacles”, which he always faced and “overcame successfully in his fidelity to God, at the service of the Church and the nation”, said the archbishop of Lviv, Ihor Vozniak, during the liturgy celebrated on January 23 in the Church of St. Basil the Great in Kyiv for the tenth anniversary of the patriarchal ministry of Cardinal Husar, head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, (UGCC). The celebration was attended by the Apostolic nuncio in Ukraine Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic, bishop Stanislav Shyrokoradiuk from the Ukrainian Latin rite Church, by the members of the Synod of Bishops of the Supreme Archbishopric of Kyiv and Halych, as well as by priests, religious and faithful. “Today – continued archbishop Vozniak addressing himself directly to card. Husar – we intend to renew our appreciation for having transferred the government seat of our Church from Lviv to Kyiv. It was a necessary, just and courageous step. We are grateful for your personal commitment in the progress of our Church”. Indeed, “there have been doubts, even in the hearts of the bishops”, the prelate admitted, “but the faith in God always delivers good fruits”. Today “we hope we will witness the spiritual growth of our faithful and the consecration of our nation: the ‘sanctity of the people united in God’, placed as the objective of the Synod of UGCC Bishops in 2006”. In highlighting his “illustrious presence on the media”, the apostolic nuncio Jurkovic described the head of UGCC as “one of the most authoritative contemporary voices” for his “wisdom and his witness of radical and evangelical poverty”. Card Husar rendered thanks to God “for having supported the Church in the years of persecution” and for having made her “stronger” over the past twenty years. His Eminence underlined that the merits he is being acknowledged are not “a personal achievement. They are the result of the joint effort of many, each according to their personal capabilities”. From this derives the commitment to continue together “with generosity and zeal”. Italy: reiterating the primacy of education “On behalf of the Permanent Bishops’ Council, – convened in Ancona January 24 to 27 under the presidency of card. Angelo Bagnasco, Archbishop of Genoa – the Church in Italy spoke to the Country with recognized authoritativeness and credibility. It did so showing unity of judgement also when addressing the delicate questions that are marking its political and social ambits”. Thus states the final communiqué issued at the end of the works. Italian bishops “intervened as pastors”, supported “by the yearning of the Christian – and non-Christian population alike – to overcome the difficulties of the present circumstances. The youth constitute the lenses through which reality is understood. Their expectations are thus attentively followed, notably those related to job opportunities”. The prelates “determinedly reaffirmed the Church’s educational commitment: an horizon that encompasses her various areas of intervention in the Country”. To the light of the Pastoral Guidelines for the coming decade the bishops identified the theme of the next General Assembly of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, due to take place in Rome on May 23 to 27 2011. “Introducing and accompanying to the encounter with Christ in the ecclesial community: subjects and methods of education to faith”. The draft of the final document of the 46th Social Weeks of Italian Catholics (Reggio Calabria, Italy, October 14-17) was presented and discussed during the meeting. The Permanent Council also approved the Message of invitation to the 25th National Eucharistic Congress that will be held in Ancona next September 3 to 11, to accompany the preparations of Italian dioceses for this important event. The prelates said they hope the Congress will serve as an opportunity for the Country “to recover its profound and true ‘soul’, and that a new spirituality of everyday life will come to the fore”.Austria: increasing palliative treatment Increasing palliative treatment: this is the request of the Caritas Socialis hospice in Vienna. “The possibility of dying in peace and with dignity, in a palliative treatment ward, in a hospice, at home or in an old-age home, is a human right”, said on January 27 Robert Oberndorfer, director of the organization. “It is necessary to ensure qualified palliative healthcare to all those requiring it and for as much as it is needed”, he added, criticizing the tendency of some palliative medical wards to discharge patients early. Oberndorfer illustrated the activity of the Rennweg hospice, which carries out various activities: from counseling to mobile palliative treatment, to hospice services, to support to children, young people and families who lost a family member. “The Hospice of Rennweg thus opposes active euthanasia whilst promoting the quality of life until its natural end”, in line with the inspiring principles of hospices for the seriously ill.