“Sovereignty in its essence is a state of the soul which manifests itself in the awareness of one’s own dignity,” His Beatitude Lubomyr

“Our hope for the best future will only have a warrant when we will be ready to protect own freedom as God’s gift, adhering to the holy Lord’s Law,” called the head of the UGCC His Beatitude Lubomyr (Husar) in his address to the faithful of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and to all people of good will on the 20^th anniversary of the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine. The patriarch remarks in the address, “The Lord has blessed us in correspondence to how much we tried to execute His holy will. How shall we understand it? The books of the Old Testament give us wonderful lessons, and especially the book of Deuteronomy, in which it is said that the Lord, after he led the chosen people from captivity and gave them His Law, promised them to take care of them on the condition that they will adhere to this Law. Consequently, we will enjoy the real freedom, as it is clearly expressed in the holy books, if we will be adamant in our loyalty to God’s Law. Responsibility for our future lies on us.” “We became used to perceiving the concept of sovereignty as solely a political attribute of the independent state. However, analyzing the history of our people, its difficult course, we can deepen its meaning. Sovereignty in its essence is a state of the soul which manifests itself in the awareness of one’s own dignity, in understanding and honoring history, culture, and language, in the responsibility for one’s native land and on the blessing of one’s nation, and the readiness to protect it,” reads the address. As it is marked in the document, the State Committee on Nationalities and Religions, executing a an order of the Cabinet of Ministers about celebrating the 20^th anniversary of Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine, appealed to the churches and religious organizations with a request to celebrate this occasion with a prayer. “This appeal is very important for us because this state’s event is spread from the secular sphere to the religious sphere and, on the one side, links the long historical process of forming the spiritual identity of our people, and on the other – enables us to look with hope to the future,” notes His Beatitude Lubomyr. As remarks the First Hierarch of the Greek Catholics, in summer there are also other important holidays for our state and nation. The head of the UGCC reminds that in July we commemorate Sts. Volodymyr and Olha, and in August – Sts. Boris and Hlib, and also the Baptism of our ancestors, which, according to old tradition, took place in the month of August. “These celebrations bind us to the great era of Kyivan Rus, and also return us farther – to the times of Prince Askold, or even to the time when 20 centuries ago holy martyr Pope Saint Clement I preached the evangelic teaching on our earth (his relics remain until now in the Kyiv Cave Monastery). This chain from long-ago not only reminds us about historical events that can be used for social and political interpretations, but also shows the forming of our spiritual originality, by which we live to this day,” reads the address. As notices His Beatitude Lubomyr, in the summer months we mark not only religious events in the history of our people. The history of our modern state – Constitution Day, Sovereignty Day, and Independence Day – is also celebrated: “They, like everything else in our life, can be recognized solely by external political events. However, they can also be moments of deep spiritual thought and sincere prayer,” concludes the address of His Beatitude Lubomyr (Husar).

Information Department of the UGCC