Cardinal T. Bertone

                                                                                                                                          State Secretary of Vatican

Your Eminence,

last week we, the four below-signed bishops of the UGCC (Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church), promulgated our secret consecration. By way of letters we announced it to all cardinals, bishops and also to all priests of the UGCC in Ukraine. Many of the Ukrainian priests, with small exceptions, accepted this news with great gratitude. Because the matter was an extraordinary event, in accordance with CCEO we transmitted the whole case to the Holy Father for a competent solution.

Unfortunately, Card. L. Husar issued a hasty declaration in which he (de facto) excommunicates (excludes) us, four bishops, from the Catholic Church.

By this act Card. L. Husar a) boycotted the competence of the Holy Father;

b) boycotted the canon law (can. 1060 §1 CCEO).

As a self-appointed judge, without an ecclesiastical trial he pronounced major excommunication against us, four bishops, and prohibited the priests and believers from coming into any contact with us. This proclamation he sent out through bishops and deaneries to all priests of the UGCC and ordered that they read out this lawlessness of his before all the faithful on Sunday 30th March 2008!

1)      This step of Card. L. Husar witnesses to his disobedience to the Holy Father. In regard of can. 1060 §1 CCEO only the Holy Father is competent to settle this situation.

Next, it witnesses to the fact that Card. L. Husar intentionally wants to evoke a deep crisis, a painful conflict and a schism in the UGCC.

2)      Supposing that this proclamation is read out in the churches, it will result in a tragical and precarious situation in the Church – but this is what Card. L. Husar is aiming at. He purposefully wants to prevent the Holy Father from a peaceful and just solution leading to the good and unity of the Church.

This concrete case has revealed the true spirit of Card. L. Husar and of the whole system which he represents. He knows that if the Holy Father includes us in the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC, the spirit of schism and apostasy, the spirit of a covert rebellion against the Holy Father and against the true Catholic teaching will fall not only in the UGCC but also in the whole Catholic Church! This schismatic and apostate system, in this situation represented by Card. L. Husar, actually wants to say to the Holy Father with arrogance: “It is us who have the rule here in the Church and not You! We shall not move and You must submit to us, otherwise we shall shake our fist at You! You must sacrifice these four bishops who are in unity with You and who defend both You and Christ. You must do so even at the cost of a schism and betrayal of conscience.”

This antichristian spirit is well aware that it has found itself in danger of losing power in the Synod of the UGCC as well as in the whole Church. This is testified by the news from the Czech Republic, where the rule is likewise held by this antichristian spirit, there represented by Focolarines. Their bishops’ conference (?BK) announced this illegal excommunication as a fact along with untruthful information as early as 26th March 2008.

From God’s view, it is not us but Card. L. Husar who for his crimes is a dead member of Christ’s Body and causes it a great wound. From an ecclesiastical view, it is not us but Card. L. Husar who should be excommunicated, i.e. excluded from the Catholic Church, for his rebellion against the Holy Father and for the fact that by illegal excommunication he is consciously dividing the Church!

Your Eminence, please, acquaint the Holy Father with this situation and You Yourself order Card. L. Husar to withdraw the publication of the “pastoral letter” on 30th March 2008, not to make any too hasty steps and to wait obediently for the settlement of the situation by the Holy Father!

           In Christ,

           the bishops of UGCC

                          + Eliáš Dohnal OSBM

                          + Metod?j Špi?ík OSBM

                          + Markian Hitiuk OSBM

                          + Samuel Oberhauser

                                                                                                                                   Pidhirtsi, 27th March 2008

Address: Monastery OSBM, 80660 Pidhirtsi, Brody district, Lvov region, Ukraine    www.community.org.ua