Bishop Husar granted extraordinary powers as Lubachivsky's auxiliary (10/20/96)

Bishop Husar granted extraordinary powers as Lubachivsky's auxiliary

by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - The World Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church (UGCC) meeting in Lviv, made the first move toward naming a successor to the ailing head of the Church on October 14. They bestowed upon Bishop Lubomyr Husar of the Kyiv-Vyshhorod Exarchate extraordinary powers and assigned him the title of auxiliary bishop to the archbishop-major of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, a decision that was confirmed by the Vatican.

Many in the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church's laity have thought it only a matter of time until Bishop Husar was asked to take charge of the Church.

Cardinal Myroslav Ivan Lubachivsky, major archbishop of the Church, who is 82 years old, has been ailing and has kept a low profile for the last three years. During celebrations of the 400th anniversary of the Union of Brest (Berestia), which took place a week before the Synod of Bishops, he failed to appear at many of the events. Most notable was his absence at the October 13 archepiscopal divine liturgy in Freedom Square.

The announcement by the Synod was not a surprise. All during the celebratory week murmurs abounded that Bishop Husar, who took the reigns of the newly created Kyiv-Vyshhorod Exarchate in June, would soon climb the next step towards succession. He is seen by many as the heir-apparent to Cardinal Lubachivsky.

What powers Bishop Husar's new post confers upon him is still murky, however. The appointment does not make him the acting head of the Church or give him any right to succession.

It does, however, give him high visibility and authority. Archbishop Stephen Sulyk, metropolitan of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in the United States, told The Weekly that Bishop Husar now has "almost all the powers of the Church; he has the power to call synods, to preside over them and to approve their decisions."

Orysia Potupa, director of the UGCC press service, said Bishop Husar will be responsible for all Church administrative matters. His other responsibilities and authority will be outlined when the Synod of Bishops releases the official document of his assignment, she explained.

Bishop Husar, who will take a position similar to what Cardinal Josyf Slipyj had as a younger man under Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky during his declining years, mentioned the need for succession in an interview with The Weekly days earlier. (The interview is being published in two parts, beginning with this week's issue.)

He said, "Understand that His Excellency is an older person. Age in itself is a debilitation to some extent. It is not easy for him to do all that he wants... Naturally, an older person needs an assistant, or assistants, ones that will work with him. He needs a person with whom he can work. In civilized society that is expected... I hope that the Synod, which begins shortly, will find him a person who can give him that help, an intelligent and worldly person, so that the head of the Church can continue to work in an effective manner."

Bishop Husar is 63 years old and was born in Ukraine. He, along with Bishop Ivan Khoma, was, perhaps, the last of the bishops of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church who came out of the underground. The Studite monk was consecrated a bishop by Cardinal Josyf Slipyj in 1977. On April 2, 19 years later to the day, he was installed as the first bishop of the newly created Kyiv-Vyshhorod Exarchate. Cardinal Slipyj had consecrated the bishop at Castelgandolfo, at the Studite monastery, a move that the Vatican immediately recognized.

However, his status remained underground until 1993, when he returned to Lviv as the Greek-Catholic Church reclaimed its historic seat. In Rome, he was the vicar-general of the Lviv Archeparchy. Upon his return to Lviv he worked at the Lviv Theological Academy.

Bishop Husar will not retain his position as Bishop of the Kyiv-Vyshhorod Exarchy. The press center of the UGCC said that no one has yet been appointed to take his place.