Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Lviv

Archeparchy of Lviv Archieparchia Leopolitana Ucrainorum
Coat of arms
Location
Headquarters	Lviv, Ukraine
Information
Sui iuris church	Ukrainian Greek Catholic
Rite	Byzantine Rite
Cathedral	St. George's Cathedral, Lviv
Patron saint	Saint George
Language	Church Slavonic, Ukrainian
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Major Archbishop	Sviatoslav Shevchuk
Metropolitan Archbishop	Ihor Vozniak, C.Ss.R.
Auxiliary Bishops	Volodymyr Hrutsa, C.Ss.R.
Map
Website
http://ugcc.lviv.ua

Map of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in the province of Lviv in 1939

The Archeparchy of Lviv is a metropolitan archeparchy of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

History

Eparchy of Halych (1156 – 1406)

The eparchy was established as the Orthodox Eparchy of Halych suffragan to Metropolitan of Kiev at some time during the mid 12th century, with its see originally located in Halych. In 1303 it was elevated to metropolitan status and held such status during several periods of the 14th century, until after 1401 the title of the vacated province was moved to the Metropolitan of Kyiv. Following the 14th century Galicia–Volhynia Wars, the diocese was secured after the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lviv.

Eparchy of Lviv

After long mediation in the mid 1539 the eparchy was re-established with its see moved to Lviv. The eparchy at first did not recognize the Union of Brest of 1596, which restored full communion with the Holy See, and joined it only in 1700.

Following the Partitions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth at the end of 18th century when most of the Ukrainian lands fell under Russian rule, the Metropolia of Halych was re-established in 1807, covering the Austrian ruled region of Halychyna and Lviv was elevated to the rank of archeparchy.

After the Second World War, in 1946 the Archeparchy, together with the entire Ukrainian Church was forcefully subjected under the Russian Orthodox Church, but it secretly continued to function in its canonical territory, and in 1959, was elevated by Pope John XXIII to the rank of Major Archeparchy.

After the collapse of the Iron Curtain in 1989, the Church could begin restoring canonical regularity. On 19 August 1990 Archbishop Volodymyr (Sternyuk) served the first Hierarchical Divine Liturgy in the returned to the church St. George's Cathedral, Lviv. On 30 March 1991 there took place returning of Major Archbishop of Lviv, Cardinal Myroslav Lyubachivskyi, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church from Rome to his major archiepiscopal see in Lviv.

In 1992 the church synod adopted decision to create more eparchies out the archeparchy of Lviv and on 12 July 1993 it was approved by the Pope. There were established eparchy of Zboriv, eparchy of Sambir and Drohobych, and eparchy of Ternopil. In 2000 there were created eparchy of Stryi and eparchy of Sokal. In 2004 new Major Archbishop of Lviv Lubomyr Husar moved his see to Kiev, becoming Major Archbishop of Kyiv-Halych, leaving the archeparchy of Lviv to Archbishop Ihor Vozniak.

In 2011 the church structure was changed and Archeparchy of Lviv became a regional center of the church as metropolitan archeparchy with four suffragan eparchies, archeparchy of Lviv, eparchy of Stryi, eparchy of Sambir and Drohobych, and eparchy of Sokal and Zhovkva.

As of 2013 the Archbishop of Lviv was Archbishop Ihor Vozniak. He was auxiliary bishop of the Major Archeparchy of Lviv during 2001–2004, and with the renaming of the Major Archeparchy of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, he became auxiliary bishop of the new Ukrainian Catholic Major Archeparchy of Kyiv-Halych in December 2004. In 2005 the Synod elected him the first archbishop of the new Archeparchy of Lviv.

Timeline

• Established on XII century as Orthodox Eparchy of Halych, on territory split off from the Metropolitan of Kiev and all Rus'.
• 1303: Elevated as Metropolis of Halych.
• 1406: Lost a metropolis status, again become as an eparchy with Metropolis of Kiev and all Rus'.
• 1540: a see transferred to Lviv and renamed as Eparchy of Lviv and Halych.
• March 7, 1677: Clandestinely joined Union of Brest with Bishop Yosyf Shumlyansky.
• June 9, 1700: Joined Union of Brest with title Eparchy of Lviv, Halych and Kamianets-Podilskyi.
• February 22, 1807: Elevated as Metropolis with suffragan sees Eparchy of Przemyśl–Sambir and Eparchy of Chełm–Belz.
• January 29, 1830: Lost the Eparchy of Chełm–Belz, that belongs immediately to the Holy See.
• March 26, 1885: Lost territory to establish the Eparchy of Stanislaviv.
• December 23, 1963: Elevated as Major Archeparchy.
• April 20, 1993: Lost territory to establish the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Sambir–Drohobych.
• April 20, 1993: Lost territory to establish the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Ternopil.
• April 20, 1993: Lost territory to establish the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Zboriv.
• July 21, 2000: Lost territory to establish the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Sokal.
• July 21, 2000: Lost territory to establish the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Stryi.
• December 6, 2004: Elevated as Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Lviv (no longer a Major Archeparchy and Metropolitan).
• November 21, 2011: Become a Metropolitan See with 3 another suffragan sees.

See also

• Catholic Church in Ukraine
  • Armenian Catholic Archeparchy of Lviv, vacant
  • Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lviv, Mieczysław Mokrzycki

External links

• Official website (in Ukrainian)
• Wasyl Lencyk. Lviv eparchy. Encyclopedia of Ukraine