Particulars of Pastoral Care for Ukrainian immigrants presented during European Migration Congress in Spain

From April 26 to May 1, 2010, the 8th European Migration Congress of the Council of Bishops’ Conferences of Europe (Consilium Conferentiarum Episcoporum Europae - CCEE) was held in Malaga, Spain, that gathered over 100 participants from 23 countries of Europe. The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church was presented by Bishop Joseph (Milyan), head of the Pastoral Missionary Department of the Patriarchal Curia, Fr. Vasyl Potochnyak, secretary general of the department, and Hryhoriy Seleschuk, head of Commission of UGCC on Matters of Immigrants. Currently in Europe live 34 million of immigrants, 22 million of whom are not citizens of European Union countries.  The theme of the congress, “The Europe of people on the move. Overcoming fears. Planning projects,” was examined in three aspects: the challenges of families, the activity of the church’s communities, and the role of society. Archbishop Antonio Maria Veglio, the president of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerants, underlined that today the negative perception of immigrants in Europe became more evident, to the extent that it threatens the national job market and source of criminalization. Instead, the church should spread the “culture of hospitality and defend the fundamental rights of immigrants.” During work in groups, Bishop Joseph shared the particulars of pastoral care for Eastern Catholics in European countries. In particular, the question of pastor ministry of married priests of our church in Latin dioceses was discussed. For the effective work of the church’s structures, a successful model of service of UGCC was in the last century in Brazil and in Great Britain where Ukrainian priests and bishops were appointed vicars by local Bishops’ Conferences. As a result, our people preserved their spiritual and national identity and can celebrate 100-year anniversaries of emigration.  Fr. Vasyl noted that a valuable experience for ministry for immigrants is the example of the Italian Church and Portuguese. In particular, in Italy from the Bishops’ Conference acts a pastoral coordinator, and the UGCC priests work on the basis of bilateral agreements about pastoral care of faithful of the UGCC in 125 church communities. In Portugal the state offers financial help to immigrants to run their own schools and presently 9 Ukrainian Saturday schools operate. Special attention of the participants of the congress was paid to the challenges which are met by immigrant families. “Thought the needs of families most often force people to search for livings abroad, a family most often becomes the first victim of immigration. Life abroad can become an unconquerable obstacle for the preservation of a marriage, as well as for maintaining live and open relationships with children,” said Gerge Seleschuk. “The church is convinced that people should be opened to transcendentalism to overcome the barriers of differences and develop each time deeper open communities and solidarity,” states the final document of the congress.

Information Department of the UGCC