Searching for unity is an important task of the Church

On December 9-13, His Beatitude Lubomyr, Major Archbishop of Kyiv and Halych, was in Rome, where he took part in a plenary session of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. Such meetings take place once every two or three years. The Head of the UGCC is a member of three Vatican institutions: the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Pontifical Council for Culture, and the Congregation for the Oriental Churches.  The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity has an administrative government: chairman and secretariat, and also councilors and consultants, who come from various parts of the world. All the listed groups take part in the plenary session. This year approximately 40 persons took part in the work of the council. From the UGCC Bishop Basil (Losten), Bishop emeritus of the Eparchy of Stamford, also took part in this meeting. According to His Beatitude Lubomyr, the main task of such meetings is to examine the general status and results of activity conducted for the achievement of unity among Christians. Thus, various aspects of this activity are analyzed. "The Catholic Church since the time of the Second Vatican Council has tried to do everything possible so that above all among Christians an understanding of each other would happen, then mutual understanding, rapprochement and, in the end, union," said the Head of the UGCC. Regarding the course of discussions His Beatitude Lubomyr said that the question of understanding the importance of ecumenical dialogue among the faithful was raised. "Much is said in the various areas about ecumenism, but people generally do not understand, finally, the reason for it. And Jesus Christ said distinctly that we must be united in the Lord. Consequently, it is His holy will. Therefore the ecumenical movement in the life of the Church is not something additional, but essential. The Church has to be united, it has to be one," the Head of the UGCC noted. To popularize this understanding, the participants of the session decided to conduct a number of events.

Information Department of the UGCC