The Head of the UGCC met with representatives of the Country Board of Ukraine

«Our strength is not that we are all the same but that we are all together.» So said His Beatitude Lubomyr, Head of the UGCC, talking to the members of the Council of the Country Board, who gathered together on April 9, 2009, in the Church of Saint Basil the Great (Kyiv, Voznesens'kiy uzviz, 7). The aim of the meeting was to acquaint the UGCC with the activities of the Council of the Country Board and develop cooperation with the UGCC. «I am glad that I have the occasion to meet with you now and I think about this special richness which brings with itself every part of Ukraine. And what brings much more joy is that you are together, you are a community. This is something beautiful which gives hope for a better future.» So consequently said the Head of the UGCC. Then His Beatitude Lubomyr briefly presented the main chapters in the history of the UGCC, at the same time underlining its belonging to the Kyivan Church of the time of the Baptism of Volodymyr. In addition, the Head of the UGCC explained the essence of the ecclesiastical structure of the UGCC, its Ukrainian-Byzantine rite and at the same time unity with the Roman See. Such a feature, according to His Beatitude Lubomyr, brings for the UGCC great benefit in the fact that the Church is in a position to use the work of the Catholic Church in the area of theological study, social ministry, and so on. As an example, the speaker showed two books, which he gave to each participant of the meeting: «The compendium of the social doctrine of the Church» and a collection of «Socially-oriented documents of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church: 1989–2008.» As Hennadiy Derevyanchuk, executive director of the Lviv Country community, which is called the Lviv Society, said in his introductory speech, the Council of the Country Board is composed of the leaders of associations of all areas of Ukraine. The council functions on democratic principles. It coordinates activities and presides at meetings of one of the country associations, led by a coordinator who is elected by the Council of the Country Board. Jointly the Council conducts various measures; in particular it conducted meetings with Patriarch Filaret (UOC KP) and Metropolitan Volodymyr (UOC). As part of coordination the country board organizes journeys to various areas, where it becomes acquainted with the life, culture and life style. At the completion of the meeting, a memorandum was signed about cooperation between the UGCC and the Council of the Country Board. In the document the sides declared «support for state-creating processes which are carried out by all branches of the authorities, structures of local government and institutions of civil society, directed at the effective uniting of all people and nationalities of Ukraine for its spiritual development and strengthening.» In addition the sides declared the expedience of subsequent cooperation between the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church and the Council of the Country Board.

Information Department of the UGCC