20.05.2008, [11:59] // UGCC // RISU.ORG.UA
On May 15, 2008, in Kyiv at the Church of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Mother of God, which was built near the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, the Most Rev. Bohdan (Dzyurakh), Auxiliary Bishop of the Kyiv Archeparchy, met representatives of two dioceses of the Roman Catholic Church of Germany. The group consisted of persons who were in charge of ecumenical relations. At the head of this group was Fr. Andreas Tirmayer, PhD., rector of the Eastern College of the Catholic University of Eichstaett (Germany). The University together with the Eastern College tries to bring the question of ecumenism with the Christian East into study and daily life.
This group has a tradition every year to visit one of countries of Europe and on site to become acquainted with the development of the local Church and the ecumenical situation in this country. "They came to Ukraine because our country, in the words of Pope John Paul ІІ, is called a laboratory of ecumenism. Churches of various traditions operate here and live in peace and in many areas closely co-operate. All this is not known to the wide public and that is why the arrival of such a group was for us a good occasion to present the positive fruits of our life in the ecumenical sphere, and also the role of the UGCC in the matter of the unity of the Churches." So the Auxiliary Bishop of the Kyiv Archeparchy explained to the Information Department of the UGCC.
After acquaintance with the process of constructing the Patriarchal Cathedral, there was an occasion for interaction. The guests asked Bishop Bohdan about the religious situation in Ukraine, about the status of our Church, and about the relations of the UGCC with the traditional Christian Churches. The majority of the meeting was devoted to an exchange of opinions about the relations of the Catholic Church with the Orthodox Churches in Ukraine. It was asserted on the whole that dialogue has to be conducted in the future but it should be conducted in truth, love and clarity, not to dilute concepts and not to change certain biblical grounds of the unity of the Church.
"Presently, in particular in Europe, there is a feeling that the ecumenism which has taken place in recent years has not ‘passed the examination.’ It is necessary to search for new forms and methods of bringing the Christian Churches closer. And I am convinced that Ukraine has not yet said its weighty word in this process, and in particular the UGCC, which in its body combines simultaneously the Eastern tradition and openness to the Catholic world." So Bishop Bohdan summed up the importance of such a meeting.
Information Department of the UGCC