A criminal attack on the new Head of the UGCC

On 5th August 2008 we visited Bishop M. Osidach in the hospital in Bryukhovychi and announced to him that the new Bishops’ Synod elected him Head of the UGCC in place of the apostate L. Husar. Bishop Michailo accepted this appointment freely and with gratitude.

The following day, on 6th August 2008, the majority of the clergy and religious already knew about his appointment. On the same day a small group of religious sisters came with a bouquet to congratulate him. He was very pleased, and he so much improved in health that his attending doctor supposed his early discharge from hospital.

On 8th August 2008 we, the below-signed, visited him in the hospital again. Bishop Michailo received us cordially; however, at the very first sight we were terrified by his state of health. His lips were blue and after he greeted us, he immediately started to apologize that since the day before he had serious heart troubles. We prayed a decade of the Rosary, then called with faith on the name of Jesus and prayed for his recovery. Even though we wanted to solve very serious questions together with him, we saw that his health did not allow that, so we took our leave and let him rest. On our way back we reflected upon his critical health condition and we had to state with sadness that there was high probability that he could finish his days that evening and that day could be his last. Only thanks to the Lord Jesus and to the Holy Virgin nothing like that happened.

In the afternoon we came to hear that the day before, i.e. on Thursday 7th August, Bishop M. Osidach had an unusual visit in the hospital. He was visited by two delegates from the Sokal-Zhovkva eparchy, by the syncellus Fr. M. Tkachiv and chancellor Fr. V. Kotkevych. They were putting psychological pressure on him, and paying no regard to his state of health they forced him to sign a pre-prepared proclamation.

Even if the Bishop did sign something, the following is applied: “An act placed because of extrinsic force brought to bear upon a person is considered null.” (cf. can. 932 §1 CCEO)

On 9th August 2008, the religious sisters visited Bishop Michailo again. He evidently improved in health, and to their direct question whether he had signed anything in the presence of the uninvited Thursday guests he clearly replied: “I did not sign anything.” The unwelcome visitors from the eparchy led the Bishop out of the hospital room to the balcony – they obviously did not desire witnesses. Bishop Michailo described it in a few words as follows: “They fell upon me, I defended myself, telling them that I was not going to speak with them at the time, that I was not going to sign anything. I said: ‘Wait until I leave hospital.’ Finally, I was saved by the doctor, who simply threw them out. He then said to me: ‘If You are going to have visits of this kind, I’ll be forced to put You in an isolation ward, otherwise You can expect another heart attack!’”

We are astonished at arrogance of the two deceivers, who in spite of this unsuccessful-for-them “visit” in the hospital did not give up. On the contrary, they did not hesitate to publish a false confession on the web pages of the Sokal-Zhovkva eparchy, which was formulated as if it had been personally and freely written by Bishop M. Osidach. The only thing which is true in their internet piece of news is its headline: “Caution! A deceit!”

Their mendacious internet news has a single purpose – to become the information material for the RISU portal and for the official web pages of the UGCC so as to spread through them throughout the world as a fact!

In conclusion we declare: The whole piece of news published by the Sokal-Zhovkva eparchy is a purposeful lie!

+ Markian, OSBM

+ Metod?j, OSBM

+ Timotej, OSBM-III

+ Eliáš, OSBM

                                                                                                                          In Bryukhovychi, 9th August 2008

Address: Bishops’ Synod of the UGCC, Pidhirtsi 19, Brody district, Lvov region, 80660, Ukraine

www.community.org.ua