On the 75th anniversary of its holding, the UGCC will remember the events of Lviv Sobor, which began the process of its forcible liquidation in the USSR

Tuesday, 02 March 2021, 14:34

On March 8-10, 1946, the Soviet security forces organized a so-called Lviv "sobor" of members of the Initiative Group, in which two-thirds of the participants were KGB agents. It announced the abolition of the Brest Union in 1596, a break with the Vatican, and a "reunification" with the Russian Orthodox Church.

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The Lviv pseudo-sobor was not recognized by the Vatican, or the bishops of the UGCC, who were imprisoned in 1945, or a large part of the clergy. It marked the beginning of forced liquidation, underground life, and more than forty years of struggle for the revival of the Greek Catholic Church.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of these dramatic events. On this occasion, the UGCC will hold various events. "We remember a very painful event in the history of our Church of the twentieth century: its forcible liquidation. 75 years have passed since the Lviv pseudo-sobor, when the Stalinist regime declared that our Church was ‘self-liquidating.’ This story still has different interpretations and has not been fully researched,” His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Head of the UGCC, said in a comment for the Information Department.

"The memory of the victims of the Lviv pseudo-sobor is a memory that heals. On the other hand, it is a memory that prevents. If we forget about these events, they run the risk of repeating themselves with any Church, community, or person who dares to oppose the system. In particular, when it comes to a person who will declare to the world that he believes in God and wants to live according to the traditions and faith of his parents. That is why we remember to prevent, to open the truth more and to heal our wounds,” said the Primate of the UGCC.

This week, in the days of preparation and holding of the Lviv "Sobor," the following events will take place:

March 3 at 16:00 on "Zhyve Television" - "Live broadcast with His Beatitude Sviatoslav." Its topic is the Lviv Sobor of 1946. The guest of the Head of the UGCC will be Dr. Oleh Turiy, Director of the Institute of Church History of UCU.

The International Academic Conference "Lviv Sobor of 1946: Historical Circumstances and Modern Assessments" will begin on March 4 at 10:00. It is organized by the Institute of Church History and the Kyiv Center of UCU. We invite you to watch the live stream on the "Zhyve TV" channel on YouTube and Facebook page .

On March 5, at 11:00, the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War (27 Lavrska Street) will host the opening of the documentary exhibition "Nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed"

On March 5 at 14:00 in Kyiv, on Kontraktova Square, the opening of the exhibition "To the light of Resurrection through the thorns of catacombs" will take place.

On March 7, at 1:30 p.m., the exhibition "Nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed" will be presented in the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ of the UGCC (5 Mykilsko-Slobidska Street).

The UGCC Department for Information