Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, visited the Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) in Lviv on July 11. This is one of the first visits of a Vatican dignitary to UCU since the visit of Pope John Paul II to Ukraine in 2001.
It is worth mentioning that it was the Congregation for the Oriental Churches that once did quite much so that the small and still not very well-known Lviv Theological Academy (now UCU) received the accreditation of its theology program from the Congregation for Catholic Education in Rome. So the visit of Cardinal Sandri, who has held the post of prefect since 2007, is important and significant for this university.
According to Fr. Borys Gudziak, Ph.D., rector of UCU, the significance of the support of the Holy See is still not sufficiently recognized in the history of this institution, for the Vatican supported UCU at that time when the university had to struggle for the recognition of theology as an academic discipline in Ukraine. So, above all, during this visit the senate, rector, teachers and students of UCU sincerely thanked the prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, and in his person the Holy Father and the Holy See, for its trust and support.
“We wanted our meeting with this high dignitary to proceed in a friendly atmosphere, without external officiousness and masks. The university has many faults: youth, lack of experience, material difficulties. And we do not hide this from Cardinal Sandri. However, we have great witnesses, the confessors and martyrs of the Church. The martyrs and confessors are the cornerstone of the rebuilding of theological intellectual life. We remember the past and will build the future in a multi-denominational, post-communist, but already very postmodern country,” admitted Fr. Gudziak.
Cardinal Sandri had the opportunity to become better acquainted with the activities and some projects of the university, for example, the Catechetical-Pedagogical Institute, which prepares catechists and teachers of Christian ethics from all Ukraine; the Institute of Marriage and Family Life; the Institute of Religion and Society; ecumenical initiatives; and the L’Arche movement, only recently founded in Ukraine. He also spoke with senators of the university.
Patriarch Lubomyr Husar, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and UCU’s Grand Chancellor, addressed Cardinal Sandri with a request to support the Ukrainian Catholic University. He emphasized that this is the only Catholic university on the territory of the former USSR and, in particular, he noted: “The university arose after decades of the rooting out of the leading academic forces of the Catholic Church in Ukraine. The leadership of our Church rejoices at its growth and helps it grow, but we also need the help of the Holy See. Your presence here is an exceptionally important moment, for we see the interest of the Holy See and this gives us the inspiration to go on working.”
Addressing the hierarchy of the UGCC, professors and students of UCU, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri emphasized that the university has great significance not only for Ukraine and its Church, but for Europe and the Universal Church, because it carries saving Christian love. And for this reason many Catholic organizations and benefactors trust it.
“In the 20th century western civilization ‘soaked up’ certain prejudices,” admitted the prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches. “UCU can make its contribution in overcoming these in the context of its activities, if it believes in its mission, inasmuch as it is able to propose to both East and West important truths. The Church in Ukraine and your country are called to overcome all the influences of the previous totalitarian regime, joining forces in healing the wounds of the past in the creation of a culture which will develop new authoritative and convincing propositions for the 21st century, for this postmodern and, as some consider, post-Christian time.”
The cardinal confirmed the attention and support of the Holy See for UCU and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, passed on the blessing of Pope Benedict XVI, and called for the preservation of the great spiritual treasure of our Church, which is marked with the sign of martyrdom.
Contact
Ukrainian Catholic University
vul. Ilariona Sventsitskoho, 17
Lviv, 79011, UKRAINE
