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Photo: Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I embrace.
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ugcc.ua - On Sunday, September 3, the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC in 2023 began in Rome, with the central theme “Pastoral Support for Victims of War.” The Hierarchical Divine Liturgy in St. Sophia Basilica, concelebrated by UGCC bishops from around the world, was presided over by His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the UGCC. The prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Catholic Churches, Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, arrived to greet the synodal fathers.
The first sign of hope is that the synodal work is the moment of the descent of the Holy Spirit: “Whenever the Church or the people have undergone some rough moments in their history (in modern times, we would describe these as moments of crisis), the Church has convened local synods or even Ecumenical Councils. For such an assembly of the apostles of our time, our bishops, is a special moment of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Church and the people.”
His Beatitude Sviatoslav regretted saying that today, many people would live happier and more peaceful lives if Ukraine, its people, state, and our Church did not exist. He recalled an Argentine saying: “I am a pebble in the shoe,” and noted that the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church is such a “pebble in the shoe for those who would like to get on with their earthly things, despite God’s call to the Heavenly Kingdom as it really is.”
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WASHINGTON (usccb.org) - Pope Francis has appointed Rev. Robert M. Pipta as bishop of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma. Bishop-elect Pipta is a priest of Holy Protection of Mary Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Phoenix, and currently serves as rector of Byzantine Catholic Seminary of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The appointment was publicized in Washington, D.C. on August 31, 2023, by Monsignor Séamus P. Horgan, chargé d’affaires, ad interim at the apostolic nunciature in Washington, in the temporary absence of Cardinal-designate Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.
Father Pipta was born on April 7, 1967, in Anaheim, California. He studied at the University of California at Irvine (1985-1990) and earned a bachelor’s degree in music. He attended the Byzantine Catholic Seminary of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1990-1994). He was ordained to the priesthood on April 21, 1994, for the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Van Nuys.
Bishop-elect Pipta’s assignments after ordination include: parochial vicar at St. Stephen Byzantine Catholic Cathedral in Phoenix, Arizona (1994-1997); administrator of St. Garbiel Byzantine Catholic Church in Las Vegas, Nevada (1997-2004); and pastor at Holy Angels Byzantine Catholic Church in San Diego, California (2004-2014). Since 2014, Father Pipta has served as rector of the Byzantine Catholic Seminary of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Pittsburgh.
Bishop-elect Pipta has held numerous appointments within the eparchy: member of the Intereparchial and Eparchial Music and Liturgy Commissions (1994-present); ecclesiastical notary for the eparchy (1994-1997); a member of the advisory council for the Byzantine Catholic Seminary of Saints Cyril and Methodius (1998-2012); vocations director (1994-2014); member of the Eparchial Review Board (2008-2014); and the Eparchial College of Consultors (2008-2014). He has also served as director of an eparchial youth camp, “Eparchial Alive in Christ” (2003-2014).
The Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma of the Ruthenians ministers to 4,309 Byzantine Ruthenian Rite Catholics in the United States.
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Greek Byzantine Catholic Bishop Manuel Nin stresses that Synod means, above all, journeying with Christ and warns against “Christian parliamentarianism.”
Edward Pent - August 24, 2023 - VATICAN CITY — Despite claims to the contrary, the upcoming Synod on Synodality is unlike any synod of the Eastern Churches — it resembles a parliamentary process, and lacks a clear and coherent goal, a Greek Catholic bishop who will participate in the meeting has said.
In an Aug. 3 commentary published on the Greek Catholic Exarchate website, Bishop Manuel Nin, the Greek Byzantine Catholic Church’s apostolic exarch to Greece, expressed several concerns about the synod general assembly, the first session of which will take place Oct. 4-29 and the second in October 2024. The upcoming meeting marks a significant break with previous synod assemblies in that a selected group of lay participants will now be allowed to vote.
Bishop Manuel recognized that this exercise of authority has a “synodal dimension” in that decisions taken at a “fully collective level belong to the synod’s bishops,” but he stressed that if the West understands synodality as where “everyone, lay and clerical, act together in order to arrive at some ecclesiastical, doctrinal, canonical, disciplinary decision, whatever it may be, it becomes clear that such synodality does not exist in the East.”
Synodality in all Christian Churches, both East and West, cannot be a kind of reflection of the modern world whereby the Church becomes like a “modern Western democracy, possibly parliamentary, where everyone can say everything,” he warned. The life of the Church, he said, “has never been a form of democracy in which everyone decides everything by majority rules.”
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vatican.va - 8.08.2023
RESCRIPTUM EX AUDIENTIA SANCTISSIMI
Norms proper to the Exarchate for the Ukrainian Catholic faithful of the Byzantine rite in Italy
The Holy Father Francis, in the audience granted to the undersigned Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, on 23 June 2023, considering that the preservation of one's identity of origin is useful for the preservation and growth of the Catholic faith, has accepted the proposal to provide for whatever may be helpful for the fruitful spiritual care of those belonging to the Apostolic Exarchate for the Ukrainian Catholic faithful of the Byzantine rite residing in Italy, erected on 11 July 2019 by the Bull Christo Salvatori. Therefore, it has decided to adopt the following provisions:
Art. 1 - The Exarchate is a portion of the People of God formed by the faithful ascribed to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church sui iuris, with domicile or quasi-domicile in Italy and governed by the Exarch in the name of the Roman Pontiff.
Art. 2 - The Exarch is a member by right of the Italian Episcopal Conference and, consequently, is bound by the norms that regulate its functioning, and follows its directives.
Art. 3 - The Exarch, in the exercise of his office, must maintain close ties of communion and coordination with the bishops of the Italian dioceses and eparchies in which the Exarchate is present.
Art. 4 - To erect personal parishes, the Exarch shall obtain the opinion of the local bishops concerned and then informs the Dicastery for the Oriental Churches.
Art. 5 - The clerics of the Exarchate must cultivate a bond of unity with the presbytery of the diocese or Eparchy in whose territory they exercise their ministry. In this spirit, they shall foster joint pastoral and charitable initiatives and activities, which may be the subject of special agreements or conventions stipulated between the Exarch and the local bishop.
Article 6 - The clerics of the Exarchate and those of the dioceses or eparchies in whose territory the personal parish of the Exarchate is located shall exercise their ministry in mutual pastoral assistance.
Art. 7 - The pastoral service or presence for study in Italy of priests ascribed to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church sui iuris are regulated by agreements, according to the models established by the Italian Episcopal Conference, between the respective Hierarchs and the Exarch. If they are signed with a diocesan or eparchial bishop, the nihil obstat of the Exarch is required.
Art. 8 - The Exarch, with the permission of the Dicastery for the Oriental Churches, may erect new Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.
From the Vatican, 28 August 2023
Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti
Prefect
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Celebrations to mark full communion with the Bishop of Rome since 1724 will include liturgical celebrations, publications and insights of a historical, theological and ecumenical nature
By La Croix International staff | June 27, 2023
The Melkite Greek-Catholic Church has begun preparations for the 300th anniversary of full union with the Church of Rome.
Celebrations will commence in Damascus on November 11, with a solemn liturgy presided by Patriarch Youssef (Joseph) Absi of Antiochia in Syria, head of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church.
According to a press release issued by the Synod of Melkite Bishops, the program to celebrate the anniversary will include "liturgical celebrations, study conferences, publications and insights on historical, theological and ecumenical nature, as well as exhibitions on the spiritual and artistic heritage preserved by the Melkite communities in the Middle East."
The Greek Melkite Catholic Church has been in full communion with Rome since 1724, following a schism in the Greek Church of Antioch. The schism came after the election of Seraphim Tanas as Patriarch of Antioch that year was contested by the Patriarch of Constantinople. Seraphim Tanas, who took the name Kyrillos VI, was excommunicated by the Patriarch of Constantinople who installed Sivestro of Aleppo on the seat of Antioch. Kyrillos then fled to Lebanon to avoid being persecuted. Some of these Christians, Catholicized by Jesuit and Franciscan missionaries then present in the Middle East opted to enter into communion with the Holy See.
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Metropolitan Borys Gudziak, Ukrainian Catholic Archbishop of Philadelphia, announces the following appointments:
Rev. Roman Oliynyk appointed Pastor of Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Melrose Park, PA (effective August 1, 2023)
Rev. Oleh Kuts appointed Administrator of Patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in McAdoo, PA, and St. Michael Church in Hazleton, PA (effective August 1, 2023)
Rev. Volodymyr Kozak appointed Administrator of St. Vladimir Church in Palmerton, PA (effective July 1, 2023)
Rev Volodymyr Radko appointed Master of Episcopal ceremonies (effective July 1, 2023)
May our Lord bless these priests in the new assignments.
Source: https://ukrarcheparchy.us/church-news/new-assignments-at-the-archeparchy
- Ukrainian Catholic Church of Saints Joachim and Anna to be consecrated in Front Royal, Virginia by Archbishop Gudziak
- Private meeting of Pope Francis with His Holiness Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Head of the Coptic Orthodox Church
- Melkite Catholic Bishop says visit to Rome a 'celebration of Apostolic Faith'
- Pope Francis Visits Greek Catholics in Budapest