Ukrainian cardinal calls patriarchate a 'necessary instrument'

Published: 2004-06-07

WARSAW, Poland (CNS) -- The head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church said the establishment of a Ukrainian Catholic patriarchate was "an important, necessary instrument." "We can't expect recognition of a patriarchate to resolve everything automatically. But it will be an important, necessary instrument for settling inner-church issues and for external communion with other churches," said Cardinal Lubomyr Husar of Lviv. The cardinal told Poland's Gazeta Wyborcza daily June 6 that some Vatican officials wrongly feared a Ukrainian patriarchate would lead Eastern Catholics to break ties with the pope and create a "national church." "These fears are groundless; the Holy Father understands this, since he well discerns the history of Europe," said Cardinal Husar, who met with Pope John Paul II June 3 at the Vatican.

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