Znaczenie dokumentu „Główne zasady współczesnego duszpasterstwa” dla działalności Ukraińskiego Kościoła Greckokatolickiego
The importance of the "Guidelines for modern pastoral work" in the live and work of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

Summary/Abstract: The author analyses the ?Guidelines for Modern Pastoral Work", published by bishop Josyf Slipyja (1892 –1984). The document had a binding canonical authority during the illegal activities of the Greek Catholic Church in the Soviet Union. It provided clear directions to the pastoral practice, operating under harsh realities of the communist regime. It retains its valour for the Church, working under present conditions, in that it opens up a perspective of a dialogue between the Greek Catholics and the Orthodox Christians. It invites to a greater inculturation, facilitates discussions on liturgical matters and points ways to agreements on thorny issues. Careful examination of the document allows the author of this essay to forward a claim that some of its directives retain their usefulness to the Greek Catholic Church even today. To illustrate this point he first sketches a historical context of the document, then describes its structure and content, with special attention to its theological dimension, and finally presents these present pastoral challenges that can be met with the help of theanalysed paper. Particular solutions may be applied to a crisis, preservation of the deposit of faith, pastoral care of faithful, religious practice of the clergy and dialogue with other denominations. The latter was actually quite ahead the ecumenical spirit, sanctioned later by the Second Vatican Council.

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