On Monday, July 14, the representatives of the laity of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in the diaspora, gathered in Rome for the celebration of the Holy Year, held a press conference at the Columbus Hotel at 11:00 a.m.
The central theme of the conference was:
Reconciliation, Persecution, and the Patriarchal Status of the Ukrainian Catholic Church.
The agenda of the conference included:
Opening remarks, Eva Piddubcheshen, New York, N.Y.
A Question of Survival Prof. Wasyl Markus, Chicago, III.
Latest Impediments in the Realization of a Patriarchal Status in the Ukrainian Catholic Church, Prof. Leonid Rudnytzky, Philadelphia. Penna.
A question and answer period followed these brief remarks during which the Very Reverend Dr. Ivan Hrynioch of Munich, Germany and Prof. Petro Bilaniuk of Toronto, Canada Save comments for reporter of the press.
The conference was conducted in Italian and English.
Following the press conference a cocktail reception was held during which the members of the press had the opportunity to mingle with the representatives of the laity for further discussion.
This is the second time said Eva Piddubcheshen, that we, as representatives of Ukrainian Catholic laity, have invited you to meet with us to be informed about the situation facing our Church. We appreciate the fact that today, as in 1973, you accepted our invitation.
Today, we speak from a position of even greater strength than in 1973 for two reasons:
- Last time we met one of you raised the question whether or not we had the right to speak in defense of the Ukrainian Catholic Church. We claimed that we did but could not cite any one of our bishops approving our claim. Today we can. After our press conference two years ago we asked this question of the primate of our Church. He replied that we not only have the right to do so but it is our responsibility. This , statement was published in VISTY Z RYMU that is NEWS FROM ROME which is the publication of the Ukrainian Press Service in Rome.
- Furthermore, last time we met you, we spoke to you in the name of the Ukrainian Catholics in the United States represented by the Society in that country for a Patriarchal System for the Ukrainian Catholic Church. Today we represent a world organization and speak in the name of the Ukrainian Patriarchal World Federation for Unity of Church and People.
Its president, Professor Petro Zeleny of Belgium is with us and you shall have the opportunity to meet and talk with him.
Our bishops, 120 priests and over four thousand laymen are here in Rome for the celebration of the Holy Year. We have representatives from the United States, Canada, Argentina, England, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Poland, Yugoslavia, and Australia. We have come to Rome in response to the call from Pope Paul urging the faithful of the Universal Church toward «renewal and reconciliation». We have come with humble hearts too as we were invited «to consolidate the unity of our common faith at the tombs of the Apostles in communion with the Vicar of Christ» but despite a maximum of good will on our part we find that our Church, that is the Ukrainian Catholic Church is still discriminated against even in this Holy Year. We are deeply concerned about this and it has become necessary for us to once again speak in defense of the rights ‘of the Ukrainian Catholic Church. These discriminatory steps will be the topic of this press conference, the central theme of which is «Reconciliation Persecution, and the question of a patriarchal status for the Ukrainian Catholic Church.»
