His Holiness Benedict XVI

Città del Vaticano

Your Holiness,

we announce to You with pleasure that on 3rd September 2008 the orthodox Catholic Synod of the UGCC (Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church) assembled in the town of Stryi (Ukraine). With deep respect, love and devoted obedience we send You our regards and ask for Your blessing.

All of us, members of the new Bishops’ Synod, profess all and at the same time the individual truths of the Catholic faith and condemn all heresies that have ever occurred in the history of the two-millennium Church Tradition. We condemn especially the present-day heresies tied up with the historic-critical method (HCT), which cast doubt upon the Divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ, upon the inspiration of the Scripture, ... We condemn religious relativism and syncretism (an opinion that all religions lead to salvation). This syncretism is connected with pagan occult practices.

We profess the primacy and infallibility of the Pope and faithfulness and obedience to You as the successor to Saint Peter and the Vicar of Christ on earth.

The principal creed of this Synod is the salvation of the immortal souls and the renewal of the Church in the spirit of the Gospel which was preached by St. Paul the Apostle, whose year of jubilee the Church now celebrates.

The orthodox Catholic Synod acknowledged H.E. Michailo Osidach as Head of the UGCC. On grounds of his advanced age and state of health the Synod appointed H.E. Teodozij Ivashkiv as his vicar with the delegation of powers. H.E. Markian V. Hitiuk, OSBM, was appointed as secretary of the Synod.

Hereby we kindly ask You for Your blessing and help. Card. L. Husar and his Bishops’ Synod, which has unfortunately united with his apostatic heresies, are taking very incorrect measures against us. They spread lies and defame us in the mass media, seek cooperation with state organs (the police, State Security Committee etc.) and try to abuse them with the aim of our liquidation. They attempt illegal deportation or prohibition of stay in Ukraine for those bishops of the new Synod who are not citizens of Ukraine. They thus aggravate the situation and compromise the Catholic Church.

We propose the following solution: Card. L. Husar, in regard to his age and to his compromised office of the Supreme Archbishop, must be retired. The bishops of the apostatic Synod must renounce the heresies of Card. L. Husar and promise their true obedience to You. After these steps we are willing to cooperate with them.

With deep confidence, love and devotion the orthodox Catholic bishops of the UGCC ask You for Your blessing:

+ Michailo Osidach, Head of the Synod of UGCC

+ Josaphat Vasyl Kavatsiv, OSBM

+ Vasyl Teodozij Ivashkiv, OSBM, Vicar of the Head of UGCC

+ Markian Vasyl Hitiuk, OSBM, Secretary of the Synod of UGCC

+ Eliáš Antonín Dohnal, OSBM

+ Metod?j Richard Špi?ík, OSBM

+ Basil Peter Kolodi, OSBM-III

+ Timotej Patrik Sojka, OSBM-III

+ Samuel Robert Oberhauser, OSBM-III

Stryi, 3rd September 2008