UKRAINE BISHOPS KNEEL
FOR BENEDICT XVI'S BLESSING
An Italian website called fanpage.it posted this photograph and the story about it yesterday, 2/24/15. It is not dated but it is known the Ukrainian bishops were at the Vatican last week for an ad limina visit and had their audience with Pope Francis on February 20.
The photo may have been taken on the same day because the accompanying story says that after the audience, the bishops then decided to make a visit to Benedict XVI at Mater Ecclesiae.
It must be remembered that the Bishop of Leopoli is Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki - whom Benedict appointed coadjutor Bishop and eventually Bishop of the mostly Polish diocese formally known as of Lvov of the Latins (leopoli) in eastern Ukraine back in 2007. Before that, 'don Mietek' as he was known at the Vatican, had been Benedict XVI's second private secretary, having served John Paul II in the same capacity during the final years of the saint's life.
The story says it was his idea for the group to visit Benedict XVI - apparently an unscheduled visit because they met up with him during one of his daily walks in the Vatican Gardens. The bishops knelt on the pavement when the emeritus Pope imparted his blessing.
Mons. 'Mietek' also took the occasion to ask Benedict XVI to bless the first stone for a Benedictine convent to be erected in Leopoli.
Here is a translation of the fanpage.it article:
Bishops kneel before Benedict XVI
by Michele M. Ippolito
February 24, 2015
Some photographs speak for themselves and can say much more than thousands of words.
The bishops of Ukraine, visiting Rome for their ad limina visit principally to Pope Francis, also decided to greet Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI, and met up with him in the Vatican Gardens during his afternoon walk.
After conversing with him, the bishops asked for his blessing. At which point, the bishops most unusually knelt down on the pavement as if they were ordinary faithful, while Benedict invoked God’s blessing for them and their country.
Although most of the bishops are quite elderly, they didn’t seem to have any problem getting down on their knees on the street. The image, taken by a photographer with the group, was posted by him on Facebook and promptly made the rounds of the social networks.
The Ukrainian bishops had their audience with Pope Francis on Saturday, February 21. Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki of Lvov (Leopoli) in the eastern Ukraine, suggested that they avail of the occasion to pay a visit to Benedict XVI, whom he also asked to bless the first stone for a Benedicttine convent to be erected in Lvov.
In the past two years, the Roman Catholic Church in the Ukraine – a small minority compared to the overwhelming Orthodox population (mostly Russian Orthodox, but there iare also many Greek Orthodox) – have been living through one of the most difficult times in her history.
Fighting has been going on in eastern Ukraine, where militant separatists threaten to suppress the freedoms of the Catholic church in favor of the Orthodox loyal to the Patriarchate of Moscow.
Several months ago when pro-Russian factions and Ukrainian nationalists clashed openly in Kiev, the capital of the Ukraine, the head of the Greek Catholic Church of the Ukraine, Cardinal Sviatoslav Shevchuk, said: “The Church has the right to judge the situation in the country, when there are violations of human rights and of the principals of public ethics emanating from the law of God as reflected in the Social Doctrine of the Church”.
I really was remiss in failing to pot anything about the Ukrainian bishops' visit with Pope Francis earlier. Here is an account:
Pope backs peace in Ukraine,
avoids criticism of Russia,
in meeting with country's bishops
CATHOLIC WORLD NEWS
February 20, 2015
Pope Francis expressed his solidarity with the people affected by continued violence in Ukraine, but stopped short of condemning Russian-backed separatists, in meetings with the country’s bishops on February 20.
In a prepared statement that was distributed to all the Ukrainian bishops, the Pope lamented the conflict that “continues to claim many innocent victims and to cause great suffering to the entire population.”
However, breaking from his prepared text, he said that he is pained by calls for the “defeat” of rebels or a “victory” for Ukrainian independence. “Those are not the right word,” the Pope said. “The only right word is peace.”
In his statement the Pope said:
dim=10pt]In this period I am particularly close to you in my prayers for the deceased and for all those who have been afflicted by violence, with my plea that the Lord might grant peace soon, and with my appeal to all interested parties to implement joint agreements and to respect the principle of international law, and especially to observe the recently signed armistice and all other commitments that are conditions for avoiding a resumption of hostilities.
The Pope said that the bishops, as citizens, have every right to express their opinions on the country’s difficulties. But he said they should speak out “not in the sense of promoting concrete political action, but in the indication and reaffirmation of the values that constitute the binding element of Ukrainian society.”
The Pope’s insistence on peace negotiations, and the absence of any affirmation of Ukrainian independence, was undoubtedly a disappointment to some Ukrainian prelates, notably including those of the Byzantine-rite Ukrainian Catholic Church.
In earlier meetings with the Secretariat of State, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kiev had said that
the first duty of Church leaders is to tell the truth about the conflict, which he has characterized as an invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces.
“This is what the citizens of Ukraine expect today from the Holy See as the highest moral authority,” the Ukrainian prelate said.
Pope Francis held separate audiences for the Ukrainian bishops of the Roman rite and those of the Byzantine rite. All of the bishops received the same written statement, however.
In that statement the Pope alluded to conflicts between the two Catholic rites, saying that he was “personally saddened to hear that there are incomprehensions and that harm has been done.” He reminded them: “Whether Greek-Catholics or Latins, you are sons of the Catholic Church, which has been subject to martyrdom in your land too.”
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 26/02/2015 01:35]