Dishonour on the person and work of Bishop Sophron Dmyterko OSBM,

                                           of blessed memory

On 5th November 2008 at about 5:15 a.m. Bishop Sophron Dmyterko OSBM commended his soul to God. Bishop Sophron bore it with pain that the UGCC under the leadership of L. Husar and his Synod had taken a schismatic direction. In particular he pointed out that in the Divine Liturgy the Greek-Catholic faithful were purposefully called “pravoslavni” (Orthodox). Bishop Sophron emphasized that this word, incorrectly translated from Greek, deeply hurts and misorientates the believers who suffered persecution and many of whom died in Siberia and in prisons for the Catholic faith.

As for our part, we were united with Bishop Sophron Dmyterko OSBM by a long-standing bond of friendship in the fight for purity of the Catholic faith and identity of the UGCC. Bishop Sophron also stayed for a time in the Czech Republic where he studied theology. During the war he was forced to work in coalmines in the Ostrava region (Moravia). Till his old age he used to pray the Rosary daily in Czech, as he revealed in one of our confidential talks. He added that he believed that it was his prayers too that obtained for us the vocation for the Order of St. Basil the Great. We visited the last of Bishop Sophron Dmyterko at the close of the year 2007. He was then no longer able either to speak or to move.

It is a grave crime and at the same time an evidence of total moral decadence that there are such people in the Church who abused the name and authority of Bishop S. Dmyterko (who could no longer speak or move his hands) and wrote by themselves a mendacious article against us who suffered along with him for the purity of faith and for the identity of the UGCC.

Perverted thinking and behaviour was also made manifest on the day of the funeral on 7th November 2008. The people filed past the Bishop’s coffin to kiss the cross in his hand. We too joined the file in order to venerate the cross as well as the departed sufferer for orthodox Catholic faith. Afterwards we stood among the believers about three metres from the coffin, dressed in our monk’s habits. Several priests disturbed us. They asked us to leave the church. We replied: “Give us a written request and we will leave. We have come to pay our last respects to the deceased.” As a response, the charged priests grabbed hold of our hands and in a scandalous manner almost carried us out of the cathedral church. The responsibility for this undoubtedly falls upon the apostate bishop V. Vijtyshyn.

However, after honouring us in this way they were still hindered by our standing in the small square in front of the church. Two hours there seemed to us like we were literally standing under the cross. This was the greatest honour to the deceased bishop and to the local Church on that day.

A mockery of the last true-Catholic bishop was the fact that the funeral service was held by the apostate Card. L. Husar. L. Husar considered this true-Catholic bishop his enemy. Bishop S. Dmyterko was consecrated a bishop in secret in 1968. The Pope did not acknowledge him before 1990. We are now in a situation similar to the one from the time of the Catacomb Church.

What brought dishonour on the true-Catholic eparchy was addressing the faithful in the cathedral as “pravoslavni” (Orthodox) Christians.

The funeral service of Card. L. Husar and several apostate bishops present discredited the life work of the true-Catholic bishop whom we had received into our new Synod.

The farewell to Bishop S. Dmyterko OSBM meant to us in a certain way picking up the baton of his fight for the true Catholic faith, for faithfulness to the Pope and for maintenance of the Greek-Catholic Church.

We recall his frequent words of comfort from the time when he was still able to speak: “My dear brothers and sisters, do not fear; God did not forsake us in the times of persecution, and He is with us even now. Do not let ourselves be deceived. Protect the true Catholic faith and keep the worship of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. May the Mother of God protect our nation against enemies!”

May God grant Bishop Sophron, our brother in episcopal service and fighter for the UGCC identity, the light of the eternal glory!

   + Markian OSBM

   + Samuel

   + Metod?j OSBM

   + Eliáš OSBM

                                                                                                                                         Pidhirtsi, 8th November 2008

Address: Bishops’ Synod of the UGCC, Pidhirtsi 19, Brody dist., Lvov reg. 80660, Ukraine

www.community.org.ua