Confirmed: Ukrainian Catholic leader steps down
February 10, 2011
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Confirming reports that began circulating yesterday, the Vatican has announced the resignation of Cardinal Lubomyr Husar of Kyiv (Kiev), the Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Church.
The 77-year-old Ukrainian prelate had asked Pope Benedict XVI to accept his resignation because of his declining health-- in particular, his failing eyesight.
Archbishop Igor Vozniack of Lviv will step in as the administrator of the Ukrainian Catholic Church. He will be responsible for convening a synod of the Ukrainian Catholic bishops to elect Cardinal Husar's successor as Major Archbishop.
The Ukrainian Catholic Church, with at least 7 million faithful worldwide, is by far the largest of the Byzantine churches in communion with the Holy See. Ukrainian Catholics have urged the Holy See to recognize a Byzantine Catholic patriarchate in Ukraine: a proposal that Cardinal Husar supported. However, Cardinal Husar declined suggestions that he should unilaterally declare a Catholic patriarchate of Kyiv, saying that he would not "force the issue" against the wishes of the Vatican.
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Posted by: Gregory108 -
Feb. 11, 2011 4:28 AM ET USA
Sadly, even now the Catholic Church has to cater to the Rusian Orthodox Church and its false claims of authority over their "cannonical territory" including Ukraine! Cardinal Husar's obedience and refusal to force the issue with Rome shows the obedient and self-sacrificial spirit that brought death and persecution to so many Ukrainian bishops, priests and lay people, who died for the Faith instead of becoming Russian Orthodox under Stalin and successors. It's a Church of modern day martyrs!
