His Holiness Benedict XVI 

                                                                                                                                                  Supreme Pontiff

                                                      A visit to Ukraine

Your Holiness,

we have been informed that You intend to visit Ukraine in 2012, after being invited by the Roman-Catholic Polish minority in Ukraine. The reason for their invitation is the 600th anniversary of the transfer of the Polish metropolitanate from Halych to Lvov.

Our Bishops’ Synod of the Ukrainian orthodox Greek-Catholic Church (UOGCC) feels bound, objectively evaluating, to draw Your attention to three aspects which ought to be taken into account.

1)      National aspect

The Roman-Catholic Polish minority in Ukraine was disproportionately privileged by the Polish Pope. In 1998 a Polish Cardinal was appointed here and it was planned that Poland would have its Cardinal in Ukraine even in future. What were the relations between the Ukrainians and Poles in the past? These relations were more painful than the relations between the Czechs and Germans after World War II. You know well what a serious national-political conflict it would provoke if the Vatican appointed a Cardinal e.g. for the Hungarian minority in Slovakia!

2)      Political aspect

The Catholic hierarchy headed by L. Husar is opposed to the present state government and influences the believers in the western Ukraine accordingly (the support of demonstrations of J. Tymoshenko in Kiev, a speech by the rector of the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lvov...). In this regard Your visit to Ukraine will have a political aspect too. Therefore the invitation by the Polish Archbishop is fully supported even by Husar’s hierarchy.

3)      Religious aspect

Your Holiness, You are well aware that the teaching of ex-Card. Husar is heretical. Under normal circumstances You would be obliged to remove ex-Card. Husar and his Synod from office. If You now wanted to do so, the leadership of the UGCC would immediately threaten You with a schism, which You are afraid of. Your visit, however, will be interpreted as Your approval of the heresies of the apostatical hierarchy, which would eventually rebound on You.

Your Holiness, we would like to ask You therefore to reconsider the benefit of Your visit.

Glory to Jesus Christ!

+ Markian Hitiuk OSBMr (Secretary of the Bishops’ Synod of the UOGCC)

Lvov (Ukraine), 2nd June 2010

Copies to:

-         President of Ukraine V. F. Yanukovych

-         Prime Minister of Ukraine M. J. Azarov

Address: Synod of the UOGCC, 3 Sosnova St., Lvov - Bryukhovychi, 79491, Ukraine

www.uogcc.org.ua, www.community.org.ua; pidhirci.community@gmail.com