TO GREEK-CATHOLICS: GUARD YOUR TRADITION

VATICAN CITY, JUN 11, 1999 (VIS) - Today at midday in Warsaw, the Pope visited the church of the Basilian Fathers, Greek-Catholics of the Byzantine rite, and entreated them to preserve their tradition, faithful to the witness of their forebears.

Before the papal speech, a Moleben - a paraliturgy of the Ukrainian Byzantine rite - was celebrated to honor the martyrs of Pratulin who died in 1874 and were beatified by John Paul II in 1996.

The Pope indicated that he visited the church for the first time "as Pope in 1979, but those times were different and the meeting could not be announced beforehand. ... The large presence today of the hierarchy, clergy and representatives of religious communities and the lay faithful bears witness that you, once more, are able to profess your faith freely and give praise to the one Triune God."

"With great veneration we also remember the large numbers of our contemporary 'martyrs and confessors of the faith of the Church in Ukraine. ... Christians in Europe and throughout the world, pausing in prayer before the concentration camps and prisons, should be grateful for the light which they gave: It was the light of Christ, which they caused to shine in the darkness. For long years the darkness seemed in the eyes of the world to prevail, but it was not able to extinguish that light'."

Addressing his remarks particularly to the Fathers and Brothers of the Basilian order of Saint Josaphat, he recalled that Saint Basil "showed to all those who wished to give themselves completely to God, the way of monastic life." Quoting the famous hymn dedicated to the Patriarch, the Holy Father urged them to "rejoice" for those who "confirmed their fidelity to the Church in the course of the ages, courageously enduring persecutions, suffering and even death."

The Pope spoke to the religious of the need for prayer: "The world needs your prayer, especially those who are searching for meaning in life or for inner healing. ... To you belongs the serious duty of faithfully observing your liturgical traditions. ... This ancient tradition should be faithfully observed by you and handed on to the future generations of religious."

In continuation, the Holy Father dealt with the subject of the unity of the Church, underlining the merits of the Basilian Order in this respect. In recalling the "eminent figure" of Saint Josaphat Kuncewicz, bishop and martyr, who gave his life for the cause of unity, he said: "Unity can be achieved only with the assistance of divine grace."

"Zealously guard your tradition as a unique spiritual patrimony. ... Remember the great witness of fidelity to Christ, to the Church and to the Successor of Peter borne by your confreres. They preferred to lose their lives rather than be separated from the Apostolic See. Their sufferings and martyrdom are an inexhaustible source of grace for your Church now and for the future."

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