Promulgation to all the faithful of the UGCC

Dear faithful of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church,

hereby we officially declare before our whole Church that we: Fr. Markian V. Hitiuk ThLic. OSBM, Fr. Metod?j R. Špi?ík ThD.OSBM, Fr. Eliáš A. Dohnal ThD.OSBM and Fr. Samuel R. Oberhauser PaedD. were duly, according to the liturgical observances consecrated Greek-Catholic bishops. Who consecrated us, when and where, this we will announce to the Holy Father.

The situation in our Church is such that nowadays it is not possible for the UGCC Synod, which is ruled by the spirit of schism and apostasy, to choose a bishop who would defend the identity of our Church. The spirit in the Synod is contrary to the spirit of our bishops-martyrs: Bishop J. Kotsylovskyi and Bishop H. Khomyshyn. Admittedly, there is external freedom but a covert dictatorship has been established. Its preparation was started already after 1990 by Dr. Datsko, who at that time was a chancellor of Card. M. Lyubachivskyi. In 1996 Lubomyr Husar was illegally installed as head of our Church. He built up a system of a gradual decay of the Church by opening her to the spirit of schism, and what is even worse, to the spirit of New Age – to the spirit of antichrist. That was why we were obliged before our conscience, before God and before the martyrish Church to make this step – to evade the procedure of selection which permits only such people to become bishops who are innerly broken, have the spirit of betrayal and who in principle will defend neither the identity of our martyrish Church nor God’s interests. In addition, one then hypocritically, with pomp and circumstance, declares about such collaborationists that they were chosen and appointed by the Holy Father himself.

So it was necessary to circumvent the structure, which was planted in the UGCC illegally and against the will of three Metropolitans who protested against this crime, and to make a revolutionary step similar to the one that was made by Card. L. Husar in 1977 when he let himself be consecrated bishop in secret without the consent of the Holy Father. However, unlike us, L. Husar was neither in conscience nor before God or the Church justified in making this illegal step. For in 1977 it was ruled out that he, an American, should come to Ukraine to work here as an underground bishop. So any need for his consecration for Ukraine was excluded. In the West – in USA, Canada, Brazil – our Church had proper bishops and there was no reason why someone should be consecrated in secret. His aim could have been either the split of the UGCC in the West or he let himself be consecrated just out of his careerist ambitions. The need for our consecration in the present time, however, is seriously motivated, and that by the internal decay of the nowaday Church which in Ukraine had the door opened by Dr. I. Datsko and L. Husar.

Archbishop Stephen Sulyk in his book “How Stephen became Metropolitan” writes about the intrigues of Dr. I. Datsko, a US citizen, who immediately after the fall of Communism came to Ukraine along with Archbishop M. Lyubachivskyi in order that in the position of his chancellor he could practically hold the Church rule in his hands and prepare the next step towards the installation of him or of his closest friend L. Husar as Head of UGCC, so that they could thus open our Church to the spirit of schism but also to the spirit of New Age. They managed to do that all by means of intrigues of papal officials through which they deceived the Holy Father. When our three Metropolitans brought an action to the Holy Father it was late.

So that into the Bishops’ Synod may get people who in the first place have at heart the kingdom of God and the salvation of immortal souls, it was necessary to make a revolutionary step similar to the one that had been made by L. Husar. We repeat – he was not justified to do so, whereas we were. In the time of illegality it was not necessary to apply to the Vatican for a permission to consecrate a bishop since there was an extraordinary situation. Today the situation is, from a certain point of view, harder than in the times of illegality, even though there is external freedom; that was why we were entitled before God to make this revolutionary and risky step. From the bishops who were consecrated in secret, too, in the times of illegality we likewise received secret episcopal consecration. So, we had to circumvent the lawless monopoly of the antichristian spirit of the current structures. That is why it is only now that we announce it additionally to You, the believers, but at the same time to all cardinals and all bishops of the Catholic Church. First of all we turned in writing to the Holy Father.

We would like to advise of the fact that in this situation according to CCEO can. 1060 §1 no synod, no self-appointed patriarch and no ecclesiastical commission are competent to punish us. It could be done solely by the Holy Father. However, he de facto cannot punish us, for he would thereby punish even himself because we are faithful to him and to the martyrish Church and will remain faithful to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. So our programme is faithfulness to the Holy Father and faithfulness to the doctrine of the Catholic Church. In these hard conditions when also the whole Western Church is going through a crisis we are willing to fully sacrifice ourselves for the renewal of the Church as it was done by our predecessors – bishops and martyrs.

It is necessary to know that the whole Western Church is affected with spiritual cancer. As the main culprits and the most responsible for the calamity in the Church one can designate the following two groups: a large majority of bishops and a large majority of theologians. The failure of the bishops’ college is generally known. The crisis of episcopate has become evident owing to scandals ranging from USA through Ireland to Australia and shattering the Church. However, what is even worse than the particular cases causing offence is the general attitude of a majority of bishops who make compromises and thus betray Christ and His Church. Already for several decades there has been an erroneous opinion spread among the bishops that the Church must more and more concede to the desires and ideas of the ill society in order that, as they say, she may have some future. But this is a great deceit and mistake. By assuming such position the Church has gained the character of a merely peripheral element of the society. In Ukraine this attitude is represented by Card. L. Husar and by the majority of bishops appointed by him. This, however, is a betrayal of Christ as well as of His Gospel and a betrayal of God’s Spirit and of the Church.

For the World Youth Day 2008 the Holy Father has chosen the motto: “When the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you shall be My witnesses.” (Acts 1:8) We are to be Jesus’ witnesses, that means martyrs and not careerists and cowards like the traitor Judas the apostle. Jesus said: “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel.” (Mk 16:15) and the Apostle Paul called: “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!” (1Cor 9:16) So we are obliged to witness before this world, we have responsibility for Ukraine whether the rule – as in the Church so in the human souls as well as in the whole nation – will be given to the Spirit of Christ or to the spirit of antichrist. We firmly and resolutely stand under the banner of Christ and are willing to defend all the souls that have at heart their own salvation and that fear God more than men. We want to help these souls on the safe way of following Jesus Christ which leads to the eternal glory in heaven. This is our programme which Jesus gave us, just as He had laid it to heart of all faithful apostles and bishops. Our programme is He Himself – Jesus Christ; in Him we want to renew our UGCC. “With God nothing will be impossible.” How shall this be? To this question the angel answered the Virgin Mary: “The Spirit of God shall do this.” What is impossible the Spirit of God will make possible; however, to do so He needs people who like the Virgin Mary will say to God: “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word.” (Lk 1:38)

On the pattern of our heavenly Mother we also want to be slaves of the Lord and not slaves of lie, various sins and dependences. This true freedom, which is only in Christ, we want to preach. This freedom is preceded by the assurance of salvation which too is only in Jesus Christ: “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you that you may know that you have eternal life.” (cf. 1Jn 5:10-13)

All of us four are proper Greek-Catholic bishops. We did not wait. If Card. L. Husar was to choose us or anyone like us, he would rather choose a goat with horns than any orthodox Catholic priest. Before God and before the whole Church we were obliged to make this step. We were obliged to circumvent the treacherous and lawlessly installed hierarchy which had intruded itself, and the Holy Father in this system had no other choice but to acknowledge the covert traitors. To a certain extent we too made a revolutionary step; however, their step was aimed at betrayal and liquidation of the Church, whereas our step was made for the sake of her salvation and spiritual resurrection. If the Holy Father was by the power of the system forced to confirm them – traitors of the Church – the more so is it self-evident that he should – in the interests of the Church – confirm us. If he condemned us, he would thus condemn himself and all the true Catholics in the whole Church, whom we represent, and likewise he would thus condemn Christ Himself. This is impossible.

The Holy Father is powerless against the evil inside the Church. The fact is that he cannot punish those who kill the souls in that inside the Church they have built up a reinforced concrete structure. This Church machinery does not protect God’s life but protects those who destroy this life. Since the Holy Father is powerless and hanging on the cross, we helped him to the courageous step for the good of the Church fully in his intention.

Moreover, our Eastern Church does not have any punishment latae sententiae, i.e. on the strength of law itself. Therefore no punishment applies to us. We repeat, neither Card. L. Husar nor any court appointed by him can judge us; as bishops we can be judged only by the Holy Father. And, as we have already emphasized, he de facto cannot condemn us.

Our programme is the same as was with the Apostle Paul – to preach Christ in season and out of season, to be a witness to Him for fallen-away Christians as well as for neopagans, to be ready for chains and even death for Christ’s sake. We are fully aware of the elementary reality and that is death, judgement and eternity. Both we and You will either be eternally condemned in hell or live eternally in the heavenly glory. This earthly life is mere preparation for happy or unhappy eternity. Our programme is to preach Jesus Christ because only in Him is our salvation and eternal life, nowhere else. We fight and want to fight against all heresies and as good shepherds to defend God’s flock against all ravenous wolves that are destroying it. Coward shepherds, hirelings, open the Church to the spirit of the world to liquidate it from inside. We are ready even to lay down our lives for the sake of Christ’s sheep by the example of Jesus Christ Himself (cf. Jn 10:11). We apply to the Synod of Bishops of UGCC for our incorporation in its structure. However, there is a problem – this synod has a different spirit than we have. We have the Spirit of Christ. We are prepared for intrigues against us, for our defamation, we are prepared that they will present themselves as the ones who have the Spirit of Christ and are faithful shepherds. Certainly, they may say so; however, the criterion for truth is one distinctive condition: that these members of synod may have Christ’s Spirit they first need to be converted and to repent, otherwise they will not even be saved. We have already fulfilled this God’s condition and we seek to fulfil it every day. It depends on them whether they will decide for this path of conversion and repentance; only then we shall have unity with them. True unity is only in Christ and in His Spirit.

Dear faithful of UGCC, we have announced to You that we received God’s commission to be Your faithful shepherds, and in conclusion, we bestow upon You our episcopal blessing.

                 + Eliáš A. Dohnal OSBM

                 + Metod?j R. Špi?ík OSBM

                 + Markian V. Hitiuk OSBM

                 + Samuel R. Oberhauser

                                                                                                                                  Monastery OSBM

                                                                                                                                  Pidhirtsi, March 3, 2008

Copies to:

-         The Holy Father Benedict XVI

-         Cardinals and Bishops of the Catholic Church

-         Synod of UGCC

Address: Monastery OSBM, Pidhirtsi 80660, Brody district, Lvov region, Ukraine

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