www.byzcath.org

Date: 2002-06-17

Ukraine�s New Catholic University to Be a Milestone

Long Awaited by Eastern Churches

LVIV, Ukraine, JUNE 17, 2002 (Zenit.org).- June 29 will see the ceremonial opening of the first Catholic university in formerly Soviet territory and also the first university opened by one of the Eastern Catholic Churches.

Ukrainian Catholic leaders last century dreamed of the opening of such a university, and, while he was in Lviv last June, John Paul II blessed the cornerstone of the future Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU).

Seminars, conferences, pilgrimages, concerts and other activities will be held in conjunction with the inauguration here. The ceremony is expected to attract delegates of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church from all over the world, representatives from many European and American universities, noted scholars, and civil and religious leaders.

UCU is being founded on the basis of the Lviv Theological Academy, the educational and scholarly institution that has become a center of intellectual and spiritual life for the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

The model of a full-fledged university education was not able to develop during the repressive Soviet era. Humanities departments had to serve the reigning ideology. With the collapse of the Communist system, however, the humanities departments of many universities began to expand the field of their work.

The opening of UCU, with the only university-level school of theology and philosophy and the largest modern humanities library in Ukraine, is a major step in the effort to change higher education of this nation. As a nongovernmental institution, it has wider possibilities to innovate and to aid in the push for the general reform of university education.

"I consider this project one of the most successful in the field of Ukrainian education," says Vyacheslav Bryukhovetsky, president of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, who has been following the establishment of the Lviv Theological Academy and its transformation into the Ukrainian Catholic University.

"I�m impressed by the persistence, consistency, high intellectual standards, and clear spiritual vision of the university�s leaders," he adds. "Our nation is now in need of a purification of the soul, a return to Christian ideals."

"It is simply impossible to overestimate the meaning of UCU here," Bryukhovetsky continues. "Above all it will further raise the quality of academic and formational processes by creating a harmonious environment for the development of young people. And this will inevitably yield fruitful results."

Father Borys Gudziak, who holds a doctorate from Harvard, is the rector of the new university. "Ukrainian Catholic University -- every word here has deep significance," he says. "The scholarly dimension is indicated by the word �university,� a responsible, creative and critical search and use of knowledge."

"The word �Catholic� reveals UCU�s religious dimension, the openness of the human being to transcendent and interpersonal dialogue," Father Gudziak says. "The Christian identity of the university, while rooted in the Eastern tradition, develops in constant dialogue with other people of faith and good will."

"Our cultural and social dimensions," he adds, "are found in the word �Ukrainian,� the reality that surrounds us; this is who we are. So our task is to be a center for cultural thought and the formation of the new Ukrainian society based on human dignity."

A prototype Ukrainian Catholic University was established in Rome by Patriarch Josyf Slipyj, head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (1944-84). The patriarch was exiled from Ukraine in 1963, after 18 years in Soviet work camps. In the 1970s and 1980s, he inspired Ukrainian seminarians with the dream of returning to Ukraine to create a fully developed university there.

In 1994, thanks in part to the efforts of graduates of the program in Rome, the Lviv Theological Academy was established in Ukraine as the first stage in the development of UCU.

The accreditation of the academy�s bachelor�s program in theology by the Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education in 1998, and the opening of a history school and graduate program in theology last year were the most recent steps in the new university�s development.

Mnohaja i blahaja lita vsim!!

Father Boris Gudziak was one of the speakers at the Orientale Lumen Conference held on June 3 - 7 at Catholic University of America, in Washington, DC. The subject of his talk was relating to the Ukranian identity. What resulted was something much more than a discussion of identity.
Most of the conference speakers presented in a university auditorium, which was appropriate for a formal academic presentation. However, due to the scheduling of conference events, Fr Boris gave his talk in church. In front of the iconostas, his words came directly from the heart. His passion for the Church, its past, present & future, served much more to unify the conference participants - Catholic and Orthodox - than to focus on a narrow issue of ethnic identity. He was, in his soft-spoken yet passionate manner, marvelous.
I have a feeling you will be hearing a lot from Father Boris in the future.
May God grant to Fr Boris, and the Ukranian Catholic University, many years in peace, health and happiness!
Fr Deacon El

And may the scholarship and pastoral training here be to the benefit of all teh faithful people of the Ukrainian nation!

Axios

Perhaps he will become our Patriarch one day?

God willing . . .

ALity

Well, having buildings (even blessed ones) is
far insufficient for creation of a true University. "University" means "universitas studiorum". LTA at presents offers only baccalaureate on theology, recognized by the Church only. The way to the university level is
VERY long indeed...

Sincerely,
subdeacon Peter

Piotr - The Sheptysky Institute started out in a back hall of the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago-after growing pains, a move to Ottawa and the collection of a great faculty it now has doctoral programs. One has to walk before running...Mnohaya Lita, Otche Borys!
Subdeacon Randolph, a sinner

AMIHb !

Just a reply to ALity, if he become Patriarch at the direction of Rome, that will be an insult to the Orthodox not only in that region but in the rest of the world. Just a note, many Orthodox have been praying for the Catholic Church in its current crisis and there has been little, if any conversion real conversion efforts. However, if the Pope wishes to effectively declare war on us by appointing a "Patriarch" then so be it.

The current Patriarch of Kyiv, Filaret, has not voiced any of the concerns of the previous post, only concerns have been from the Moscow Patriarchate. Spare us all of the arguments of KP being "uncanonical". Why can't we have our own Patriarch? Seems reasonable...And ecclesiologically proper...Our Church would elect him, not Rome. Moscow is afraid of any ecclesiological body that may potentially unite Ukrainians, either KP or UGCC. Doesn't matter if we are Catholic or Orthodox, if we are not MP they are agin' us.

It does matter. To establish a patriarch loyal to Rome, to proclaim him to be the true patriarch of Ukraine and then to bring the Orthodox to him and therefore under Rome is an attack on the Orthodox. Look, the Orthodox may have issues with each other, but it is more important for us to hang together under Moscow's leadership than to fall to Rome. By the way, you should be glad we are out there. Rome is showing Eastern Catholics a greater deal of independence than it shows the Western rites because it wants us to submit to Rome's rule with the thought that nothing is going to happen to our faith. Once we capitulate, then Rome will pull out the rug and you will be loyal servants to the west.

You just prove my position. The Sheptytsky
Institute has doctoral programs - and what? Is
it to be proclaimed an university? Of course
not.
A true university must have full graduate and
postgraduate programs on VARIOUS disciplines.
The LTA has only undergraduate program on theology, less than Sheptytsky Institute. So
they could be not so hurry in getting triumphalist names. To be an university is a
great obligation the present LTA is obviously
unable to fulfill. They should firstly develop
their research structures and educational offers,
and only secondly change the name, which even at
present is a bit "overdone".

Sincerely,
subdeacon Peter

Subdeacon Peter -

On the website of the lta, it states that the LTA is soon to be the first Catholic University of Ukraine. Yes, it is a process and giving the title "university" to their academy helps to give vision and focus.

They have just implemented a a master's program in Theology.

I agree with their position. History waits for no man. If we, I assume you are a greek catholic, are going to start to take true leadership of our church, then we need to start by making decisions, like creating a university. True, it is a work in progress, but at least it is that AND now it has a vision to strive for.
Rome is not going to do, neither the MP, our church will have a UCU soon and there is nothing wrong with calling it a University. Getting scrupulous over precise meanings of terms, is missing the point.

ALity

Please. I chose to be Orthodox, not Roman Catholic, but how Byzantine Catholics organize themselves, and what ecclesiastical titles they employ, is none of our business.

What undermines us in the eyes of Ukrainians (and the world) is this ongoing, unedifying spectacle of squabbling between Orthodox and Catholics, and worse, among ourselves.

The Church in Ukraine needs to demonstrate how conciliarity -- sobornost -- is SUPPOSED to work, by coming to a charitable, equitable, orderly agreement. Is it any wonder some people conclude we need Rome to impose order and make decisions for us when we can't seem to make them ourselves? The Protothrone offered to mediate only to have its hand bitten.

Frankly, I don't care how Ukrainian Orthodox are organized, but I will say the normal position of an Orthodox Church with that many members in a sovereign nation is autocephaly. Moscow doesn't have to rule everything from Estonia to the Black Sea and back again.

Tim -

This is a thread about the UCU, not about "claimed" jurisdictional disputes and the process of attaining patriarchal status in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

I did'nt respond at first to jporthodox on purpose.

jpprthodox - please start another discussion thread about your opinions of the MP, etc, if you wish to talk about such things.



ALity