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Holy Father Benedict XVI today at 12.00 announced, that he raised the Eparchy of Presov to the rank of the Metropolitan Church, naming bishop Jan BABJAK, SJ as first Metropolitan, raised the Exarchate of Kosice to the rank of an Eparchy, and erected new Eparchy in Bratislava (Slovak capital), and named Rev. Peter RUSNAK as first bishop of the newly created Eparchy.

To all Byzantine Catholics around the world, but first of all to Metropolitan Jan, Bishop Milan and bishop - elect Peter Many Years!!! Mnohaja lita!!! Mnoho rokov !!!

http://www.tkkbs.sk/view.php?cisloclanku=20080130001

Official announcement of the Press office of Slovak Conferrence of Catholic Bishops

Ordination of bishop - elect Peter RUSNAK will take place on Saturday, February 16th 2008

Follow the news here - http://www.grkat.nfo.sk/eng/metropolitan-church.html

More information and pictures coming soon.

Short bio of Bishop - elect Peter RUSNAK

He is a son of a Greek Catholic priest, who was expelled to Czech during Communist times.

In 1982, at the age of 32, entered the seminary in Bratislava. He was ordained a priest on June 16th 1987 in Pre�ov.

His priestly assignements included: Kapisova 1987-1988, Presov 1988 - 1990. In 1990 was assigned as spiritual director to the Byzantine Seminary in Presov and was much involved in rebirth of this instituion. Between 1995-1998 acted as episcopal vicar and chancellor of the Eparchy of Presov. During the years of 1990-2003 he taught Pastoral Theology and Homiletic at the Greek Catholic Theological Faculty of the University of Presov in Presov.

In 1998 came back to active ministry and was named as pastor to the city of Bardejov.

From 2003 was responsible as pastor and dean for diaspora of Byzantine Catholics in Bratislava .

On January 30 2008 was named by the Holy Faher Benedict XVI as first eparch for Bratislava.

Cathedral church of the Eparchy of Bratislava will be the church of the Exaltation of teh Holy Cross in Bratislava.

Web page of the cathedral

http://www.grkat.nfo.sk/Bratislava/english.html

And 3D panoramatical view of the new cathedral church - http://www.grkat.nfo.sk/Bratislava/3dpanoramy/

Thanks to Andreios we are proudly presenting you official Vatican link (However you need a little bit Italian to understand)

http://212.77.1.245/news_services/bulletin/notizia.php?lang=en&index=21602

Daniel

My question, is it neccessary and is there going to be more sensitivity to "all of the different ethnicities" that make up the Greek Catholic Church in Eastern Slovakia?

Ung

Glory to Jesus Christ! Slava IC XC!

Dear Ung - Certez

From your many posts in this forum, I bow down before your interest in our Churches; those descending from Mukachevo, or better said of the Union of Uzhorod.

And thus, I do not understand your question, if it is necessary. On Christian East is Metropolitan Church the only normal minimal form of the existence of the Church.

Our Church was struggling and praying to become Metropolia for many years. Mention about it was already in 1929 in Modus Vivendi between Czechoslovakia and the Holy See. Of course at that time were both Presov and Mukachevo integral part of CSR.

Now, our prayers (Our meaning all Byzantine Catolics in Slovakia) were answered and God gave us this gift. We all have to help to be a visible sign of his presence.

And at the press conferrence metropolitan Babjak said, he wants to be bishp for all, including of course Rusyns and also Hungarians.

I hope, that this will help us lead a better Christian life, otherwise it will stay only in the canon law level.

Daniel

Will the Metropolitan retore the faculties of Fr. Timkovich? Will he make sure the Rusyn villages are assigned Rusyn priests where the faithful want to celebrate the Divine Liturgy in the traditional Church Slavonic language and hear sermons in their native Rusyn language? Let us hope this canonical establishment does not become a vehicle for politics.

Ung

Glory to Jesus Christ!

Dear Ung - Certez

If you have the 1999 diectory of the Pittsburgh Metropolia, check out the St. Andrew parish in Westbury, Eparchy of Passaic: "the Church is neither Hebrew, nor Greek, nor Slavic, but universal..." Do not fall into a trap of national fights. This is temptation of evil...

When I had my pastoral year intership, I was assign to a parish in then Exarchate of Kosice, where I chanted Epistle in Rusyn at Church Slavonic liturgy and in Slovak at Slovak liturgy the whole year. And I do not consider myself Rusyn, but Slovak.

But the point is, that if there is will and Gods blessing, there is always a way...

Daniel

But the fact is that Rusyn Greek Catholics have been not treated well since 1990. Politics should never be used for political purposes in the administration of an Eparchy. My prayers go out to the Timkovich brothers who have been the subject of such unchristian political persecution and the faithful who have come to their defense.

Ung

Dear Ung - Certez,

I think, that I do not want to continue in this discussion.

May the Lord help us ALL better understand his will and give peace to our hearts, especially today, when we have a reason for solemn festivity...

Mnohaja lita to all Byzantine Catholics