Cardinal Schönborn becomes the first recipient of the highest award of the UGCC - Order of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky

Thursday, 14 November 2019, 10:13
Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav presented Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna with the highest award of the UGCC - the Order of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky. The awarding ceremony took place on November 12, 2019 in St. Stephen's Cathedral, during a concert-requiem to commemorate the victims of the Holodomor and to honor Cardinal Theodor Innitzer.
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The Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Order is awarded for the first time in the history of the UGCC. The awarding of Cardinal Christoph Schönborn was preceded by the decision of the Permanent Synod of the UGCC "for a tireless commitment to reconciliation between peoples, for the promotion of ecumenical and interreligious dialogue and relations between the Church and the State."

For many years, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn has had a close relationship with the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. He is also the ordinary for Catholics of Byzantine rite in Austria. Of the 20,000 priests of the Austrian Eastern Catholic Churches, the majority belong to the UGCC. In December 2014, the Archbishop of Vienna in Kyiv participated in the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the UGCC's departure from the underground as a special envoy of the Pope.

“It is very touching for me that for the first time in the history of the UGCC, the Order of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky was handed to me. I can accept this award with the understanding that I can now spiritually pass it on to my predecessor, Cardinal Theodor Innitzer, a man who had the courage to speak the truth about the Holodomor in Ukraine,” said Cardinal Schönborn  in his thankful speech.

In St. Stephen's Cathedral, in honor of Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, "AXIOS” (Greek for “worthy”) was sung.

The UGCC Department for Information

 

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