to His Holiness Pope John Paul II at the Beginning of the Divine Liturgy
The grace of the Holy Spirit has today brought us together here with you, Most Holy Father, in common prayer at this Divine Liturgy. In the past few days you have been in the capital city of Ukraine, from which shone forth the light of the teaching of Christ over all of ancient Rus'. Today you are greeted by the land of Galicia - the regions of western Ukraine - where in recent decades it was necessary to defend the faith in a special way with witness of faithfulness to the teaching of Christ. Lviv and the Galician land where, due to historical circumstances, the Catholic faith in its Byzantine tradition has been maintained and developed over the past two centuries, fell victim to the occupation of an atheist regime and all its terrible consequences, especially the persecution of religion in general and of our Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in particular.
The masses of people present here today - and I am their spokesman - bear witness directly that our church has survived the persecution successfully, and has returned as soon as it was possible to a normal public existence. We are very proud of this, but we do not consider it to be our own accomplishment. Indeed, we are aware that divine grace has sustained us, revealing to the world a true miracle: the rebirth of our church. Divine grace has been particularly present in these brothers and sisters of ours, many of whom are present today: bishops, priests, monks, sisters and laypeople who received the overflowing gift from God and with his help witnessed to the whole world their faithfulness to God and his Church. Some of them, as the first fruits of countless other martyrs and confessors that this land has given, you, Most Holy Father, will proclaim blessed before those here present and all those who follow this liturgy. For this we are profoundly grateful.
We extend to you our most sincere acknowledgment, Most Holy Father, for the precious gift of your personal care for our Church, and in your person we thank also your predecessors who sustained us during the seemingly endless years of persecution. Unity with the Apostolic See of Rome became a spiritual treasure for our church and an unshakable support.
On this occasion we would like to express our filial gratitude to our great Metropolitans Andrey Sheptytsky and Josif Slipyj, who, by their solicitude, their preparatory teaching and their heroic example, sought to prepare the flock entrusted to them for times of cruelty so that they might overcome them.
It might seem strange, incomprehensible and even contradictory in this moment of the glorification of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church to also recall that the history of the past century knew moments of darkness and spiritual tragedy, moments in which most unfortunately certain sons and daughters of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church consciously and voluntarily did evil things to their neighbors, both to their own people and to others. For all of them, in your presence, Most Holy Father, in the name of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, I wish to ask forgiveness from the Lord, the Creator and Father of us all, and also from those whom we, sons and daughters of this church, may have wronged in any way. So that the horrible past may not weigh down upon us, and not poison our life, for our part with all our hearts we forgive those who in any way have wronged us. We are convinced that in the spirit of mutual forgiveness we will be able to proceed in peace to the celebration of this Divine Liturgy with you, Your Holiness, with the expectation that in this way we are entering into a new and better century with sincere and unshakable hope.
Already today, most Holy Father, before you with love and humility, there stands a church ready to undertake new challenges that flow from our God-bearing Eastern tradition, from our ecclesial structures, and from the sense of responsibility we feel towards the universal Church.
For a better future in the new century, we bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church are preparing a program of pastoral activity, the essence of which is summarized in the following words: the holiness of a united people, in pilgrimage on the path towards the full reestablishment of ecclesial communion in order to fulfill the will of Christ our Savior.
We are crossing the threshold of this new millennium with full confidence, and with hope in the care of the Most Holy Theotokos, whose heavenly protection our people have always sought over the centuries.
Gathered together before the Lord, tested by tremendous sufferings, and thirsting for God, we ask for your loving support of our efforts and for your fatherly word.
"It is time to celebrate, Most Holy Father. Bless us."
Religious Information Service of Ukraine 27.06.2001 (20:36)
27. juni 2001