Patriarchal Synod of Bishops of the UGCC has started its work

“When we obtain a plenitude of the Sacrament of Priesthood, a triple task appears before us: to be a teacher, a person who blesses, and a pastor for the people who have trust in us. These tasks can be analyzed and discussed to find which of them is the most important. But, presumably, first of all we have to consider the words of Jesus Christ, directed to the teacher of law whom asked Him about the most important commandment. The Lord answered that the most important commandment is to love God and thy neighbour,” His Beatitude Lubomyr said in his sermon for the occasion of the Patriarchal Synod of Bishops. Exactly this, according to the head of the UGCC, is the most important in the service of a bishop: to love God more than all and to love thy neighbour as thyself. (Listen a fragment of the sermon of His Beatitude Lubomyr.)

On November 29, 2009, the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, which will continue until December 6, began its work in Lviv. A synod is the highest body of the church, meetings of which take place once a year and which decide the major questions of the church’s life. In the synod, which is led by the head of the UGCC His Beatitude Lubomyr, take part the bishops of UGCC from Ukraine and from abroad (Western Europe, USA, Canada, Brazil, Argentina and Australia). The basic theme of the working meetings will be the question of evangelization. Suggestions regarding the long-term plan of evangelization of the UGCC will be the subject of discussion on evangelization developed by the Patriarchal Commission on questions of evangelization. They were compiled on the basis of the long-term programs of evangelization of the eparchy/exarchate (for 5-10 years), which have already been worked on in the eparchies and exarchates at the appropriate local councils. In addition, advice and opinions of faithful of the church that were submitted for the preparation to the Patriarchal Synod were taken into account in the suggestions of the Patriarchal Commission on questions of evangelization. At the synod, according to His Beatitude Lubomyr, a strategy of evangelization will be developed not only for the whole church in Ukraine, but also around the world. “The first task of the church is to evangelize, to proclaim the Gospel. We will think how better to do it, how to prepare, how it should be understood for baptized people are called to evangelization,” stated the head of the UGCC.

Information Department of the UGCC