His Beatitude Sviatoslav ceremoniously announced the beginning of the work of the 2013 UGCC Synod of Bishops

Sunday, 11 August 2013, 14:25

“With this Divine liturgy we, the bishops of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church begin our Synod,” stated UGCC Father and Head of Church His Beatitude Sviatoslav (Shevchuk) during the sermon in the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Kyiv.

See also:

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The Head of the UGCC enthroned Bishop Bohdan Dziurakh as the Exarch in Germany and Scandinavia

His Beatitude Sviatoslav emphasized that the Synod begins “at a historic moment which will never repeat itself.” We pray in the Patriarchal Cathedral as if a bride before the nuptial ceremony – awaiting one’s blessing. Look how bright and white it is,” – turns the Church Primate to the bishops and the laity.

In talking about the topic of the Synod, UGCC Head noted that the central issue will be “how to make a contemporary person see, how to share faith, how we, the faithful of the 21st century, can carry on the Word of God in the current culture.

His Beatitude Sviatoslav asked the Greek-Catholic faithful to pray for the Synod. “Let us pray that the Holy Spirit, regardless of our sins and weaknesses, acts at this gathering of the bishops so that we can pass good resolutions of the Synod, that this meeting of the bishops be a time of the special presence among us of the Resurrected Christ – that Christ whose mosaic we see on the façade of the Patriarchal Cathedral. May the Blessed Virgin Mary be our teacher and leader in the sermons of the Word of God to the current man,” said the preacher.

According to him, the Synod will pray to Jesus Christ, so that he blesses us, our people, our Church, our nation, so that we become believers and a fully with the words of faith to our neighbors.

At the end of the Liturgy according to Church law Bishop Bohdan (Dziurakh), Secretary of the Synod, read the Decree on calling of the next UGCC Synod of Bishops.

The Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine Thomas Edward Gallickson noted that as a representative of the Pope he has the honor to stand next to the Greek-Catholic faithful before the throne of God’s Greatness in order to beseech for the gift of the presence of the Holy Spirit for the discussions of the Synod issues which begins today. He also “assured all of the blessings of the Holy Father,” all the Greek-Catholics, the work of the Synod, the celebration of the 1025^th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus-Ukraine and the Blessing of the Patriarchal Cathedral.

At the conclusion of the Liturgy, his Beatitude Sviatoslav took advantage of the opportunity to introduce each Bishop who had arrived for the Synod.

The Synod will take place in Kyiv on August 11-18, 2013. The main topic of the Synod – “Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church and the New Evangelization.”

UGCC Department of Information