The history of a people

“Our people have been hunted, beaten, pillaged and oppressed, but they’re alive and have a future”, said Cardinal Lubomyr Husar in a long interview given to Pavlo Vyshkovkyy, SIR Europe’s correspondent in Ukraine in which he spoke about the Ukrainian people and the challenges that face the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church today: we excerpt his remarks on three different themes.At what point is the process undertaken by the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church in her bid to receive the status of Patriarchate?“The idea of the Patriarchate is not new. Its origins go back to the early seventeenth century. This idea was further developed thereafter, especially in the later nineteenth century and down to the 1930s. Its implementation was made possible thanks to the Blessed Josyp Slipyi. He gave a huge impetus to this movement. We are involved in this process; it’s part of our life. Our Church is not present in Ukraine alone, but also in other countries. That’s why it’s important for us to safeguard our internal unity; in other words each Christian needs to perceive that he needs others to be himself. There’s also an external factor, in as much as it is the Apostolic See or the Ecumenical Council that gives or that recognizes this status. At the present time there’s no prospect of a Council of the Catholic Church being held. So it’s obvious that this decision is up to the Apostolic See, to the Holy Father. I mean to say that both John Paul II and Benedict XVI have clearly stated: the moment will come when this desire will become a reality. The process however is not so simple. It’s not just a question of signing a decree. These things need ‘changes of view’. They require spiritual deepening, and a clear understanding. So recognition by the Apostolic See cannot be a dry formality, a merely administrative act, but must be the realization of an ecclesiological relation”. In Ukraine, as in the rest of Europe, a certain disinterest of the young in religion is being registered…“Two years ago our Church held a Patriarchal Synod and dedicated it to the question of youth. This question is of deep concern to us. We would like the young to really understand that solid spiritual foundations are an essential prerequisite for the development of their future. I agree that after initial enthusiasm a certain apathy has set in. That’s why we must all work together. In the first place we adults: we must give an example to the young. Speaking is all very well, but young people react better when they see an example, when they see people with solid moral principles. The young are very critical; they are quick to perceive what’s false and what’s true. We must educate by our example. It’s not easy, but only in this way can we achieve good results”.What can you tell us about the efforts being made in terms of the introduction of “Christian ethics” in the curriculum of secondary schools?“This school subject is the history of our culture. When a child is able to look at the history of our people, which is over two millennia old, and to review all the historical events that have shaped it, he/she will be all the more surprised to see that we have survived all this and have not disappeared from the face of the earth. This is the content of the course of Christian ethics: it means enabling children, as future citizens of Ukraine, to understand that Christianity is something powerful, that it gives strength to the State and to the people. This is what they will learn from the course of Christian ethics. It’s not catechism. It’s not the study of a religion or a course of prayer. It’s a cultural subject. Our people have been hunted, beaten, pillaged, and oppressed, but they’re alive and have a future. It’s a sad fact, moreover, that our authorities do not permit the Church to run its own schools. I dream that in time the situation may change. But just to enable children to understand through this course what Christianity has done for our people would be in itself a great step forward. I was present in Lviv when the programme for this course was drawn up; the representatives of various Churches defined it together: they discussed its contents, and tried to formulate the Christian tradition in a more inclusive way. This is an excellent example of the kind of cooperation that there must be between the Churches”.