Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, former leader of Ukrainian Catholic Church, dead at 84

June 01, 2017

Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, the retired Major Archbishop of Kiev, Ukraine, died on May 31 at the age of 84.

Lubomyr Husar was born in Lviv, but his family moved to the United States in the aftermath of World War II and he was ordained as a priest of the Ukrainian Catholic eparchy of Stamford, Connecticut, in 1958. Returning to Europe as a Studite monk, he was ordained a bishop in 1977 and became auxiliary bishop of Lviv in 1996.

In 2001, after the death of Cardinal Myroslav Lubachivsky, Bishop Husar was elected by the Ukrainian Catholic Synod to become the Major Archbishop of Lviv, the leader of the Byzantine-rite Ukrainian Catholic Church—which is by far the largest of the Eastern churches in full communion with Rome. Pope John Paul II named him to the College of Cardinals just a few weeks later.

In December 2004, Major Archbishop Husar transferred the Archdiocese of Lviv to Kiev, the capital city of Ukraine, in a move that underlined the role of the Ukrainian Catholic Church and irked Russian Orthodox leaders who regard Ukraine as their “canonical territory.”

Cardinal Husar resigned as Major Archbishop in February 2011, just short of his 78th birthday. He was succeeded by Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk.

In a message of condolence to the Ukrainian Catholic Church, Pope Francis praised Cardinal Husar as a “zealous pastor” who was known for his “tenacious faithfulness to Christ, despite the hardships and persecutions against the Church.”

 

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Further information:

• Major Archbishop emeritus Cardinal Lubomyr Husar dies (Vatican Radio)
• Holy Father’s Telegram of condolences for the death of His Eminence Cardinal Lubomyr Husar (Vatican press office)