Vatican Update
[JUN. 23, 2001]
Catholic World News Service
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* SPECIAL: POPE ARRIVES IN UKRAINE

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SPECIAL: POPE ARRIVES IN UKRAINE

KIEV, Jun 23, 01 (CWNews.com) – Pope John Paul II arrived in Kiev this
afternoon to begin the 94th foreign trip of his pontificate: a trip
that could
have enormous impact on the future of ecumenical relations with the
Eastern
churches.

The Holy Father arrived at Boryspil airport outside Kiev just after
noon,
following a 3-hour flight from Rome. He was greeted by Ukrainian
President
Leonid Kuchma and by the leaders of the Ukrainian Church: Cardinal
Lubomyr Husar, the Major Archbishop of Lviv for the Ukrainian rite, and
Cardinal Marian Jaworski, the Latin-rite Archbishop of Lviv.

In his first remarks at the welcoming ceremony, the Pope said that he
had
come to Ukraine, "the cradle of Christian culture for the whole of
Eastern
Europe," in order to pay homage to the "brave and determined witness"
of
the Christians there. "What an immense burden of suffering you have
had to
endure!" he said.

The Pope also set the stage for his ecumenical efforts, saying that he
was
confident his visit would be "welcomed with friendship by those
who—while
they are not Catholics— are open to dialogue and cooperation."

Pope John Paul also made a now-familiar gesture, acknowledging that the
Catholics have sometimes been harsh in their treatment of their
Orthodox
neighbors. He suggested: "As we ask forgiveness for the errors of the
distant
and even more recent past, let us also offer forgiveness for the wrongs
we
have suffered."

While some Orthodox leaders have been distinctly cool toward the papal
visit, the state television station plans ample coverage. The four
major
liturgical celebrations of the papal visit—including two different
beatification
ceremonies—will be carried live.

Journalists covering the papal trip have found it difficult to arrange
for hotel
space, since the available rooms in Kiev and Lviv have been booked for
months. Even visiting dignitaries are searching for space.

The city of Kiev has a rich Christian history. It was here, in the year
988,
that Prince Vladimir was baptized, and the people of the region—known
as
the Rus—became Christians. Centuries later a Tatar invasion drove the
headquarters of the Christian community to Moscow, where the Russian
Orthodox Church emerged. Russian Orthodox leaders still consider
Ukraine as
part of their "canonical territory," and object to Catholic activity
there.