On Forgiveness Sunday UGCC Head prayed at the grave of Saint Apostle Peter in the Vatican

Wednesday, 20 March 2013, 13:59

This morning UGCC Head His Beatitude Sviatoslav officiated at the Divine Liturgy at the grave of St. Apostle Peter in the Vatican. The Liturgy took place in the Chapel of St. Clementine VIII in the underground of the basilica. Concelebrants were: Bishop Bohdan (Dziurakh), Secretary of UGCC Synod of Bishops; Bishop Iryney (Bilyk), Canonic of the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major (Santa Maria Maggiore), and priests from the Ukrainian collegiums in Rome. UGCC Head urged the faithful to pray for the new Pope and to begin Great Lent in the spirit of repentance and forgiveness for all.

This morning UGCC Head His Beatitude Sviatoslav officiated at the Divine Liturgy at the grave of St. Apostle Peter in the Vatican. The Liturgy took place in the Chapel of St. Clementine VIII in the underground of the basilica. Concelebrants were: Bishop Bohdan (Dziurakh), Secretary of UGCC Synod of Bishops; Bishop Iryney (Bilyk), Canonic of the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major (Santa Maria Maggiore), and priests from the Ukrainian collegiums in Rome. UGCC Head urged the faithful to pray for the new Pope and to begin Great Lent in the spirit of repentance and forgiveness for all.

“Today, as we begin the forty-day long road of the Great Lent, on the first Sunday of the pontificate of Pope Francis, we came to the grave of St. Apostle Peter in order to consummate the Holy Eucharist – the bloodless offering of prayer to God for the newly-elected Roman Arch Hierarch and for the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church in Ukraine and throughout the whole world,” stated His Beatitude Sviatoslav during his sermon.

In comparing the period of the Great Lent with the forty-year old wandering of the Israel people in the desert, UGCC Head described a rock which saved the wanderers from thirst, and this rock, according to the words of St. Paul, is Jesus Christ Himself. “In order that every person at some historic moment of their life have access to this cliff, Jesus Christ named one of his apostles “the rock” which is our trustworthy mainstay of our spiritual life,” noted the UGCC Primate.

In beginning Great Lent with Forgiveness Sunday, His Beatitude Sviatoslav urged all faithful to genuine repentance and forgiveness: “We cannot ask God to forgive us our sins if we do not forgive those who transgressed against us. And it is from the Cathedral of St. Peter that there resounded in the 20^th century the words “We forgive and beg forgiveness.”

After the completion of the Divine Liturgy, His Beatitude Sviatoslav blessed all present with a piece of the relics of the Saints Main Apostles Peter and Paul, which thanks to the efforts of Bishop Iryney (Bilyk) was given to the parish in the village Vyshka in Velykoberezniansky region in Transcarpathia.

Video of this event: www.ugcc.tv/ua/media/54995.html

UGCC Department of Information