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THE PAPAL VISIT TO UKRAINE     June 23-27, 2001

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Latest Headlines: • Pope Beatifies 28 Greek Catholics at Largest Byzantine Liturgy in History // 27.06.2001 (21:14) • Pope Sings for Sykhiv Youth Rally // 27.06.2001 (21:06) • GREETINGS OF HIS BEATITUDE CARDINAL LUBOMYR HUSAR TO HIS HOLINESS POPE JOHN PAUL II AT THE BEGINNING OF THE DIVINE LITURGY // 27.06.2001 (20:36) • Greeting of his Holiness Pope John Paul II at the Youth Rally at Sykhiv // 26.06.2001 (21:15) • Holy Father Blesses Ukrainian Catholic University // 26.06.2001 (21:47) • Testimonies on Martyrs Now Available // 26.06.2001 (14:30) • Pope Encourages a Plurality of Traditions // 25.06.2001 (15:20) • Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Opens New Website // 25.06.2001 (15:02) • “I know Lviv, ask me, please” // 25.06.2001 (14:57) • Pope Praises Exemplary Relations Between Ukrainian Catholic Churches // 25.06.2001 (10:34) • Interreligious Meeting with Pope Discusses Freedom and Responsibility // 25.06.2001 (10:27) • Greetings of his Beatitude Cardinal Lubomyr Husar to his Holiness Pope John Paul II at the meeting with the Ukrainian Council of churches and religious organizations // 24.06.2001 (21:41) • Greetings of his Beatitude Cardinal Lubomyr Husar to his Holiness Pope John Paul II at dinner with the bishops // 24.06.2001 (21:37) • Pope Celebrates Ukrainian Mass with International Emphasis // 24.06.2001 (17:12) • Pope Encourages Ukrainian Leaders to Build a Civilization of Love // 23.06.2001 (22:01) • Pope Entrusts Ukrainian Trip to the Mother of God // 23.06.2001 (18:55) • Pope John Paul II in Ukraine: “I Come as a Brother” // 23.06.2001 (16:31) • Ukraine's Catholics Kiss Visiting Icon // 22.06.2001 (17:13) • Pope John Paul II will pray in Ukrainian at liturgies in Kyiv // 22.06.2001 (16:45) • Lviv's Nativity of the Mother of God parish awaits Pope // 22.06.2001 (16:36)				Pope to bless theologians but Ukrainian state doesn't accept them On June 26 Pope John Paul II will bless the cornerstone for a new Theology Center while he is in Lviv. The students of the Lviv Theological Academy (LTA) will be there for the blessing. But, as the LTA's rector Fr. Dr. Borys Gudziak (pictured at right) noted at a press conference held in Kyiv on June 11, the Ukrainian government does not recognize theology as an academic discipline. It does not recognize his students' degrees or the degrees of any theology students in Ukraine. 19.06.2001 (11:53) // Religious Information Service of Ukraine    There are today 91 religious educational establishments in Ukraine, one of the biggest of which is the Lviv Theological Academy, which has 110 teachers and approximately 1200 students taking part in its various courses of study. Ukraine remains, nevertheless, the only country of the former republics of the Soviet Union where theology is not a subject accredited at the government level.   Theological institutions still manage to work together with public and private secular establishments, where they receive respect and support among outstanding intellectuals and scholars in Ukraine. The situation is rather ironic, because the Vatican's Congregation for Catholic Education recognizes the LTA students' bachelor's degree, so their degrees are recognized at Catholic institutions across the world. But they aren't recognized by their own government.   It is the new and perhaps slightly unstable multiconfessional character of the independent Ukrainian nation that has caused government officials to hesitate in giving theology academic accreditation. But Fr. Gudziak doesn't think disputes between denominations should be an obstacle. "Acknowledgement of theology should lead to the end of interconfessional tensions, because the majority of these conflicts arise from misunderstandings caused by a lack of theological education."   As Ukraine prepares to meet John Paul II, Ukrainians are conscious about the country's image throughout the world. Fr. Gudziak is convinced that accrediting theology "will bring about mutual trust and better understanding in society, especially on the eve of His Holiness Pope John Paul II's visit to Ukraine. This would be a very clear example of the Ukrainian government's respect for Christian ideals and values, and also a direct sign of respect for the person of the Holy Father and the historical importance of his visit to Ukraine."  Get the printable page

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