Greeting for his Holiness John Paul II from Ukrainian Greek Catholic youth

Oles Horodetsky, Ternopil Eparchy, UGCC

Holy Father!

On behalf of millions of Ukrainian youth, together with the whole Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, with great joy and expectation we, the younger generation of our country, greet Your Holiness.

We are the descendants of Volodymyr the Great, the baptizer of Ukraine, and Danilo, who received his crown from the Apostolic See. We have grown up with the experience of many generations, strengthened by the blood of the martyrs and the persecuted. Today we have a special grace from God, the grace, together with Your Holiness and in union with the Universal Church, to praise God's holy name at this significant time for Ukraine.

Your service, as well as your whole life, is an example for us of love of Christ and neighbor, to which we also aspire.

We hope and sincerely believe that Your Holiness' visit to Ukraine, blessed by God, will begin a new stage in development of our Church, nation and state. We trust that your great mission will confirm the truths of the Christian faith among Ukrainians and that the evil which comes from our recent past will disappear, never to return.

It is significant that Your Holiness' visit to Ukraine has coincided with the tenth anniversary of our nation's independence. And this again confirms that the choice which our people made is final and irrevocable.

We ask Your Holiness to pray for Ukraine, for our people. We promise to be faithful to Christ and to the Universal Church as long as our young hearts are still beating. This is our faith: "This is the faith of the Church and we are proud to proclaim it, in our Lord Jesus Christ," recalling the words of your teaching.

The youth of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church with gratitude praise all the good Your Holiness with the Lord's blessing will bring to us, to the Church and to the whole country. We ask God to grant Your Holiness health and inspiration as you announce the Kingdom of God on earth.

We hear you, we listen to you, we look into your shining eyes, we follow the word of your teaching. We have come today to show our love for you and our faithfulness to the Apostle Peter of modern times.

Holy Father, bless today Ukrainian youth and through them the future of our people, so that resurrected Ukraine will follow Christ, for He is our Way, Truth and Life.

Religious Information Service of Ukraine 26.06.2001 (21:09)
26. juni 2001