Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, Archbishop Emeritus of Washington, visits Ukraine

Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, Archbishop Emeritus of Washington, is on a pastoral visit in Ukraine from March 6 to 10, 2010. Accompanying him are Father James McCann, head of the Collection for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Patrick Mark, executive director of the collection. The purpose of the visit is to deepen the cooperation between the church in America and Ukraine.

First the honored guests visited Lviv, where they visited the Ukrainian Catholic University, the construction site of the new university campus on Stryiska Street, and the seminary of the Holy Spirit of the Lviv Archeparchy of the UGCC. The meeting with the seminarians began with liturgical singing. Impressed by the singing, the perfect harmony of masculine voices, Cardinal McCarrick said that he envies the Catholic Churches of the Eastern rite: «you have something we do not. And in the Ukrainian church, singing is completely blessed. It is possible to hear at your divine services how angels sing. I pray that you become angels of God. It does not mean to lose your earthliness. Simply an angel in the Gospel who brings the Gospel. Therefore your role in the Church is to be those angels who carry salvation in the world.» Continuing conversation with the students of the seminary the guest noticed that there are two aspects of theological studies – to study and to be able to teach others. «To get to know God, but not to know how to spread the Good News to the people is a failure in ministering. And to know how to teach but not to believe is also a failure. Because then one can say to the preacher that I do not hear what you are saying because you do not live what you preach. To understand the Gospel and learn to share this with others is pastoral theology. You shall live what you preach,» said the cardinal.

Cardinal McCarrick called seminarians to study every day and to the end of days. McCarrick noted that although he has been a priest for 52 years, he still strives to gain new knowledge. It gives force to respond daily to the challenge of living by the law of God, to hear the voice of the Lord. And actually this priest’s challenge will help young priests become the prophets of the Ukrainian Church. «I promise to pray for you and ask you to pray for me, so that we may all be angels called by the Lord,» concluded Cardinal McCarrick.

In Lviv the cardinal also plans to take part in the annual Great Lent procession of the Road to the Cross. On Monday, March 8, the guests will travel to Kyiv.