Thousands of people gathered on June 4, Trinity Sunday, in the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Kyiv to pay their respects to Lyubomyr Huzar, the former supreme archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Huzar died on May 31 at the age of 84 due to a disease.
Huzar will be buried on June 5 in the crypt of the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Kyiv.
The liturgy was broadcasted on television. Channel 112 reported that it gathered not only Catholics, who are a minority in Ukraine numbering some 4.5 million people in the 45-million nation, but people of other religions too for the authority of Huzar spread out across Ukrainian nation.
His successor, new head of Ukraine’s Greek Catholics Svyatoslav Shevchuk and Head of Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv Patriarch Filaret attended the liturgy.
Having spent 46 years in immigration in the United States and Italy, Huzar returned to Ukraine in 1993. He was the leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church from 2001 to 2011.
Read more: Lyubomyr Huzar, Ukrainian Greek Catholic leader, dies
A memorial service was held on June 3 in Lviv, where Huzar had resided for many years before moving to Kyiv in 2005. He spent his last years in his residence in the village Knyazhychy near Kyiv.
The Kyiv Post translated selected quotes from Huzar’s last interviews to the press.
On liberalism
Interview to Hromadske, February 2017
“Liberalism, in a form that it exists today in the West, in today’s interpretation is ‘do what you want.’ This liberalism is devastating. Liberalism can be more disciplined but not in the sense of imposing rules that restrict people’s lives. This is a form of freedom, or rather, preservation of freedom. Liberalism is a good thing if it respects human rights within a certain moral order.”
On abortion
Interview to Hromadske, February 2017
“You will hear many arguments that every person has a right to do whatever they want with their body. Their bodies – yes, but not a life of a child. This isn’t respect for human life for true liberalism stands against violence and defends human rights.
Ukraine wants to be in Europe. However, not everything that is preached there is good, fair, and clean. Europe has grown on Christian principles but does it keep them?
We have to be careful: We have to adopt what is good and question what is offered to us today in literature, cinema, and philosophical works, whether it’s fair and good and whether it is compliant with God’s order. Truth, justice, authentic spiritual values are what we have to strive for.”
On church and politics
Interview to Glavkom, January 2017
“The church has one goal – to sanctify, and not get involved in politics or anything else. The task of the church is to tell people about God, under any circumstances, to encourage them to live in a godly manner. It’s fatal for the church to play with politics. It will lose.”
On hope
Speech at Knyzhkovyi Arsenal book festival, April 2016
“We can’t and must not lose hope for better times. Instead of getting desperate, get down to work.”
On how to cope with hard times
Interview to Novoe Vremya, April 2017
“To a believer who understands that God if the master of the universe, I say that everything is in God’s hands. Such is our fate. But this doesn’t negate the importance of individual effort.
Do your job, this is your call. Do it well no matter who is in power and what challenges we face.
For non-believers it’s also important not to despair and go with the stream.
Do your job every day, and not just for yourself. Do it with others and for all. Unity is power. It will allow you to resist any attack whether someone comes to take away a piece of your land, or someone comes to deceive you.”
