His Beatitude Liubomyr Huzar, Archbishop Emeritus of Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, passed away on May 31, 2017, after a serious illness, at the age of 85.
This extraordinary and historically significant figure for Ukraine personified the image of the man of the New Age. The man, who was a patriot and citizen, who did not withdrew into his pastor work, but was determined to expand the sphere of his influence into every aspect of life of the Ukrainian community, its consolidation, formation of the civil society in our country.
His life serves as an example of the resistance of human spirit, devotion to the Idea, Order and Church. Liubomyr Huzar inherited such noble human values from his great predecessors Petro Mohyla, Andrey Sheptytskyy and Josyf Slipyy. He became their worthy successor.
Several years ago, students and professors of Lviv Polytechnic had a unique opportunity to communicate in person with that great man – His Beatitude Liubomyr Huzar, who renewed the Social Days, initiated by Andrey Sheptystkyy in the last century in the University. It was an interesting meaningful dialogue with a person of ardent mission, a great contemporary of the New Age of Ukrainian history, a passionate patriot of his Motherland and a recognized spiritual mentor of millions of Christians.
His Beatitude Liubomyr said his prophetic words, in which he formulated his life creed, his own view of true Ukrainian patriotism. Now all of us perceive them as his spiritual testament, «We have to love Ukrainians, this is love for Ukraine, for real people and not for abstract Ukraine. I want to love people. They may be imperfect, they may upset me, but I want to wish them well». He persevered in implementing this spiritual principle during all his life. For many of us, it became a worldview guideline.
The leadership and Academic Board, thousands of Lviv Polytechnic National University staff mourn for the loss of the spiritual leader of Ukrainian people, His Beatitude Liubomyr Huzar, and express their sympathy with the family and relatives of the deceased, as well as with hierarchs and all followers of Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
