New year’s pastoral letter to the priests

 

 

Dear priests, dear servants of Christ,

we turn to You in this historic time with an appeal which concerns every Greek-Catholic priest in Ukraine, whether he is in pastoral administration or he is a religious.

 

Overt proclamation of heresies by Head of the UGCC Cardinal L. Husar has caused an extraordinary situation in the Church and nobody can trivialize it with some phrase or by brushing it aside.

This public proclamation of heresies in our small UGCC provoked a subsequent response, which was the establishment of an orthodox Catholic Synod as a counterbalance to the official Synod which is in unity with the heresies of Card. L. Husar.

 

The next response was that contemplative sisters of St. Elias the Prophet Monastery (58 religious sisters from five monasteries) publicly renounced 8 heresies of Card. L. Husar as well as unity with him and declared their subordination to the Pope and to the orthodox Catholic Synod. Certainly, this all is an act of great heroism, which is connected with persecutions and false excommunications from those who have betrayed both Christ and the Church through their unity with heresies. Unfortunately, these traitors of Christ and the Gospel continue unlawfully in the Church structures, act in public as true representatives of the Church and declare hypocritically that they believe everything that the Church teaches.

 

We respond: It is impossible to claim that I believe everything that the Catholic Church presents to be believed and at the same time to be in unity with heresies which destroy these foundations of faith and Christianity. Such attitude is, in fact, spiritual schizophrenia!

Dear servants of Christ, supposing You made the same heroic step of faith as was made by the contemplative sisters, the present structure will start to persecute You. You could venture to do so only if the majority of Your faithful were not just traditional but also true Christians, who would be fully acquainted with the situation in the Church and fully support You against the pressure of the heretical structure.

 

The present heretical structure has its means through which it will slowly lead You into heresies and make You accept the same spirit by which it is ruled itself.

Objection: “I have nothing to do with Card. Husar’s heresies; I try in my homilies to encourage people by good examples to come to the church. Please, do not bother me with some heresies, I am not interested in it; I am more interested in the cost of building material, whether brick is cheaper or more expensive.”

Response: Dear servant of Christ, we understand that if You went through the seminary formation in the time after the Church had come out of illegality, You were not led to the most essential thing, that is, to the living relationship with Christ. Neither did anyone in the seminary consider it of primary importance that You should become a true Christ’s witness, such as was the Apostle Paul and the other Apostles. That You may become a witness, You need to change the spirit! The spirit of the world for the Spirit of Christ! This change can in no way be substituted by e.g. Your theological studies in Rome.

 

Objection: “You are just smearing innocent Card. L. Husar.”

Response: First of all we are obliged to fight against the spiritual poison and antichristian spirit which are behind the heresies of Card. L. Husar. If he left or died, his heresies will remain here, poison the next generations and deprive them of eternal salvation. If his place was given to somebody else who would promote these heresies, we would be obliged to fight against him as well. Unfortunately, one cannot isolate heresies from the heretic who represents them. The Church has always condemned both – the heresy and the heretic – and we are obliged to do likewise!

 

Objection: “It’s not my business that Card. Husar approves of homosexuality. Don’t bother me with that, I’m not interested in it.”

Response: Imagine that Your 20-year-old son tells You that he is going to marry another man. You will be shocked because it will concern You personally; You will be perfectly right to see it as a life tragedy of Your child, so You will protest and try to save Your child. But Your son will say: “Who are you? Cardinal Husar approves of this love, he is just sorry that we cannot bear children! You likewise can at best show this compassion.” Such are the consequences of the fact that Card. Husar does not preach the teaching of the Church but a perverted world trend which he approves of by his authority in opposition to the whole Church’s Tradition and all the saints.

 

Objection: “What does it matter if Card. Husar divines by pendulum and approves of divination and magic?”

Response: From this it then follows that diviners may freely work in the Church as counsellors in spiritual and life problems. Now the only thing needed is that they go through a catechetical course and receive a Church diploma from UCU (Ukrainian Catholic University)! How tragical fruit, however, it will bear that by his example Card. L. Husar has de facto approved this occult activity! For this practice God sent down the severest punishments.

 

Question: “What impact does it have that Card. Husar casts doubt on the Divinity of Christ?”

Answer: Casting doubt on this basic article of faith causes the fall of all Christianity!

Question: “Who is the true Christian, true priest, true religious, true bishop?”

Answer: The one who fights against heresies and is persecuted for the true faith. The one, however, who does not stand against heresy but covers, approves and propagates it is a traitor and apostate from Christ and from the Church.

 

Question: “What concretely are we to do?”

Answer: Every priest, whether diocesan or religious, is obliged in this time to confess the true faith. Unless he does so, he remains in spiritual unity with official heresies and likewise falls under an anathema according to Gal 1: 9. This priest has thus betrayed Christ and is an apostate!

 

Question: “In what way should the priest confess his faith?”

Answer:

1)      Every priest should privately before the tabernacle confess the true faith and renounce the public heresies preached by Card. L. Husar and by the apostate Synod united with him.

2)      Every priest should write a private letter to the Pope, in which he will briefly confess the true Catholic and apostolic faith and at the same time renounce the mentioned heresies!

Unless the priest makes this confession, before Christ he has already become an apostate, and if he should die in this state, he would be eternally condemned. The Lord Jesus says even today: “Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the Gospel’s will save it.” (Mk 8:35)

 

Question: “What should the priest confess and what should he renounce?”

Answer:

1)    Do You believe that Jesus Christ is true God and true man and the only Saviour? (I do.)

     Do You renounce the false theology of HCT, which through the terms “Christ of history” and “Christ of faith” denies Christ’s Divinity? (I do.)

2)    Do You believe that the whole Holy Scripture is inspired by God? (I do.)

     Do You renounce false theology which puts the Word of God on an equal level with pagan myths and legends? (I do.)

3)    Do You believe that salvation is only in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and that pagan religions are false ways of salvation? (I do.)

     Do You renounce the spirit of New Age which puts Christianity and paganism on the same level? (I do.)

4)    Do You believe that the Mother of God was preserved from original sin and is Ever-Virgin? (I do.)

     Do You renounce all false theologies which deny these truths? (I do.)

5)    Do You believe that hell is eternal? (I do.)

     Do You renounce false teachings which question this truth? (I do.)

6)    Do You believe that divination and magic and all forms of occultism are a grave sin against the First Commandment? (I do.)

     Do You renounce all forms of divination and magic as well as their practices to which You consciously or unconsciously opened Yourself? (I do.)

7)    Receiving Jesus Christ as Your Saviour and Lord

 

Now realize God’s presence and at the same time the moment of Your death too. Live this moment as if it was the last moment in Your life. Now recall Your greatest sin and admit what God says through His Word even to You: “The wages of sin is death.” (Rom 6:23)

Realize that for this sin and for all Your sins the Son of God, Jesus Christ, shed all His blood and died on the shameful cross. At this moment confess Your belief in Jesus as Your personal Saviour. Repeat the so-called prayer of the heart several times with faith: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.”

 

The next step in Your personal relation to Christ is to receive Him consciously as Your Lord. Give him now all Your problems, Your relations to people and things. Give Him also Your false fear for Your future. From this moment on Christ is to have the first place in Your life. In every liturgy this truth is expressed through the litany: “Let us commend all our life unto Christ our God.”

 

Witness to Your personal conversion at least before one person; say that You have received Jesus as Your personal Saviour and Lord. When the hour of Your death comes, You will not regret making this step of faith and You will thank for it for all eternity. Write a private letter to the Holy Father about Your confession of faith, renouncement of the heresies of Card. L. Husar and receipt of Jesus as Your Saviour and Lord. This your act of confession of faith is private, yet in the spiritual fight for the renewal of the Church and nation it is of great significance.

 

Conclusion

 

By this pastoral letter we call upon You, every priest, as diocesan so religious, in the name of God, that is, God Himself through us calls You to the most vital step, without which nobody will be saved, and that is a clear confession of the true faith in Christ and His Gospel. Your attitude of denial or confession of faith will decide Your eternity! This is the most topical and at the same time also the most personal matter, if You want to be and remain Christ’s servant and if You want to be saved!

 

We pray for You and bless You as well as all the priests of the UGCC.

May through Your step of faith Jesus be truly born in Your heart. Christ is born!

 

Members of the standing Synod of the UGCC

                                                 + Samuel

                                                 + Markian OSBM

                                                 + Metod?j OSBM

                                                 + Eliáš OSBM

 

                                                                                                                                      Pidhirtsi, 9th January 2009

 

Copies to:

- His Holiness Benedict XVI

- Cardinals and Bishops of the Catholic Church

 

Address: Pidhirtsi 19, Brody dist., Lvov reg., 80660, Ukraine

www.community.org.ua; new e-mail address: pidhirci. community@gmail.com