Pope Benedict XVI Encourages to Celebrate 600th Anniversary of Archdiocese of Lviv in Fitting Way

On September 1, a letter was released in the Vatican, written in Latin and dated August 8, in which Benedict XVI designates Cardinal Jozef Tomko, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, as his special envoy to the 600th anniversary of the transfer of the metropolitan seat of the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine from Halych to Lviv (then, Leopolis) and of the creation of the archdiocese of Leopoli of the Latins, which celebration will take place in Lviv, Ukraine on September 8. Also named are the members of the mission who will accompany the cardinal: Fr. Gerard Liryk, and Fr. Anatol Szpak, Radio Vatican reported.

Pope Benedict XVI noted that this jubilee desreves to be celebrated in a fitting way encouraging the faithful to grow in the virtues and consolidating the church community in the work of hearing and fulfilling the Word of God and the Commandments.

“We mark the six hundredth anniversary of the establishment of the Lviv Metropolitan Archdiocese of the church. At that distant time, it was transferred by the Providence to the place blessed by the Lord. As it sowed a spiritual seed with the support of God’s grace, it grew and yielded much fruit,” reads the letter of the Pope to Cardinal Jozef Tomko.