A Book About His Beatitude Lubomyr Is in the TOP 5 Books of the Old Lion Publishing House
The book “Kobzar of Independent Ukraine. His Beatitude Sviatoslav about His Beatitude Lubomyr” was among the TOP 5 books by Old Lion Publishing House that readers bought the most at the Lviv BookForum (Publishers’ Forum). The book tells the story of Lubomyr Husar’s path to the patriarchate of the UGCC, his role in the formation of Ukrainian independence, the development of the Church after the collapse of the USSR, and how he succeeded in facilitating the arrival of Pope John Paul II and changing the world’s attitude toward Ukraine. This is a book about being a Human.
The image of Lubomyr Husar appears in the memoirs of his successor, the Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, which were recorded and compiled by Oksana Klymonchuk.
“I met His Beatitude Lubomyr back when he was the head of the church,” says the author, “first as a journalist who came to him for an interview. And our first meeting was indeed impressive. It was like being next to an ethereal person; the conversation was pleasant and easy. Since then, we have often communicated on various topics and recorded interviews.”
Later, after the death of His Beatitude Lubomyr, when I was working on his biography, I needed a comment from his successor, His Beatitude Sviatoslav. During our conversation, I realized that His Beatitude Sviatoslav felt Lubomyr Husar very well as a person and could appreciate his importance for the church in particular and society in general. The conversation with His Beatitude Sviatoslav made me realize this is material for a book. Our talks occurred during the coronavirus epidemic, usually in online Zoom conversations. The book was almost ready for the beginning of the full-scale invasion. But when the war broke out, I became a soldier and could no longer work on it. Many people could not return to their usual work at that time. But six months after the full-scale invasion, I got back to the task and finished the book.
I believe that anyone who reads Lubomyr Husar and about Lubomyr Husar will only gain and benefit. Because his story is about the fact that there is no greater mission and destiny than devoted service, it is about serving your Church and your people. The ministry of His Beatitude Lubomyr never concerned only people of a particular denomination. He always spoke to the whole nation, to all Ukrainians living in Ukraine and abroad.
In moments of disappointment, such as with politicians or our government as a whole, I always remember His Beatitude Lubomyr, who looked at all this as something passing. He said there will always be people who will not live up to our expectations, but this does not mean that we should be disappointed in building an independent Ukraine and its development. Lubomyr Husar also urged us not to wait for help for our country from anyone but to fight for everything for Ukraine ourselves.
His Beatitude Lubomyr Husar was a man who sincerely loved his people and his country. And for this, he sacrificed greatly. His successor, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, said the following about Lubomyr Husar: “His Beatitude Lubomyr has sung us a whole new epic of love and peace, called ‘Lubomyr.’ And it is on this epic that we need to rest in the next stages of our culture and statehood development.”
The UGCC Department for Informationbased on the materials of the Old Lion Publishing House
