A special report to the”Voice of the Ukrainian Community”
from Leo Rudnytsky in Melbourne, Australia.
The fortieth Eucharistic congress in Australia is an authentic Christian happening, and an event of truly international magnitude. There are countless conferences, seminars, and exhibitions devoted to various issues both religious and secular. Among the participants in the congress are 17 cardinals including the Primate of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, His Beatitude Major Archbishop Joseph Slipyj. With the exception of the Holy Father, Pope Paul VI, and a few members of the curia, just about anybody of importance in the Church has come to Melbourne. In addition, numerous high ranking officials and prelates of other churches are participating in the congress giving it a truly ecumenical flair.
The congress has also a distinct ethnic flavor. Various nationalities and national minorities of Australia are making a vital contributions to the congress by displaying the beauty and splendor of their individual rites. Among these the Ukrainians are definitely the first. Beautiful Ukrainian masses are celebrated, at the Ukrainian Cathedral in Melbourne and an exhibition on the life and suffering of the Ukrainian Catholic Church prepared by Bishop Prashko and the Ukrainians of Melbourne is without a doubt a unique contribution to the event. Thousand of Ukrainian pilgrims from Australia and other continents have converged on Melbourne. Most of these have come under the leadership of their bishops among whom are Metropolitan Maksym Hermaniuk, Bishop Isydor Boretsky, Neil Savaryn all from Canada, and Bishop Havryyil Bukatko from Yugoslavia, and Bishop Ivan Prashko from Australia. The Ukrainian Bishops from America are rather conspicuous by their absence.
But the one person who has made a great impact on the entire congress is the Primate of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, His Beautitude Joseph Cardinal Slipyj. His journey to Melbourne was heralded a week in advance by the Australian press, and his arrival on February 17, brought the international Airport of Melbourne virtually to a standstill. News papers, radio, and national television, the equivalent of our network, covered his arrival and the tumultous welcome he received from the Australian people. His arrival in Melbourne focused once more the attention of the world on the plight of the Ukrainian Catholic Church. In an interview with the government television network Cardinal Slipyj said the following words quote і “We will not die. We are dispersed, but we will be united. We will not die. Our Church will not die. You know the position of our Church in Ukraine and also here in diaspora. And that is the reason why the holy people, the clergy and the bishops are for the unity of our Church and only the Patriarch can unite all the parts of the Church Government, organizations, and political pa rties can not unite the people. But the patriarchate and the church can unite all the people. And that is the reason why we are all for the Patriarchate … We have the right to have it, because Vatican said it once and also because the Union of Brest.” No other prince of the Church has received so much coverage as the Ukrainian Patriarch. It seems that everywhere he goes he touches intimately the lives of young people, adults, religious, lay, and clergy and the people of Australia are no exception.
His human warmth, his patriarchal appearance, coupled with a truly Christian humility evoke respect and love from all. Here in Melbourne Australia at the 40th Eucharistic Congress Cardinal Slipyj is truly a prophetic figure. His pressence here will leave on ideiibie imprint on the pilgrims from all over the world and on the people of Australia.
