Любомир Гузар

Activity: Religion
Date of Birth: February 26, 1933, Lviv
Date of Death: May 31, 2017, Kyiv
Navigator: Modern Era

Ukrainian religious leader, Patriarch and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Priest, bishop, and cardinal of the Catholic Church. Major Archbishop of Lviv, Kyiv-Halych, Archbishop-Emeritus.

No one was as close to Ukraine. And—paradoxically—no one was at the same time so distant.
A family with a long lineage of Ukrainian priests, a noble upbringing, and a brilliant American education. Yet even more important was his choice to serve Ukraine, to which he remained faithful throughout his life. One of his friends from his student years, recalling their meetings and long conversations in Washington in the 1950s–1970s, said: “I no longer remember what we talked about then, but everything we talked about was about Ukraine.”
Being near him, one had the feeling of standing at the very center of Ukraine, as if its core, its cultural code, was right there. General phrases, pretentious words, pathos—all of it became meaningless in the presence of the Patriarch. With him, only essence mattered. It seemed he could see into the deepest parts of his interlocutor. Yet his gaze toward others was filled with love, from which one’s back would straighten and a sense of confidence would emerge—that you are someone, that you matter.
He could have lived a calm, dream-like life as a monk in Italy or Canada and helped Ukraine from afar. But he could not. Already no longer young, he came to a wild, disoriented post-Soviet country with its poverty, power outages, shortages, and moral confusion. To live in a simple rural house together with other monks, to share in Ukrainian life, to pray and support those around him. Being a bishop, for 19 years he acted as a simple priest—modestly, without pathos or grand gestures.
Fate did not allow him to remain in the shadows. And he accepted this challenge with dignity, leading the Church in difficult times of political instability and interchurch misunderstandings. With ease and elegance, he made difficult decisions that opened doors and allowed great events to take place.
At the same time, he remained a stranger. The Patriarch felt this as soon as he arrived in Ukraine in the early 1990s. He was not needed by a still Soviet, corrupt, petty Ukraine—the one he loved so much, and which did not want to hear the man whom American journalist and writer John Allen called one of the greatest figures of the second half of the twentieth century.
In the life of the Patriarch, one can find answers to almost all the questions a Ukrainian might ask the world. The greatest moral authority of the years of independence, he embodied that ideal Ukraine which, he believed, would one day become reality. It was to her that he served. I still hear his words, with which he usually greeted visitors: “How may I serve you?”
Meeting him was a chance for the country to become better, to accomplish the miracle of rebirth. And when that happens, Patriarch Huzar will finally cease to be a stranger and will become who he truly was and is—a native, one of our own.

Author: Lesia Kharchenko

Brief conclusions

Figure and reformer — became not just a church leader, but a figure who profoundly influenced the spiritual and social development of Ukraine.
Lawmaker — not a lawmaker in the literal sense, but a great moral authority who influenced society through spiritual leadership.
Builder and patron — viewed philanthropy as a key instrument for developing an independent Ukrainian society, especially in education and spirituality; actively encouraged patronage for the development of the Ukrainian Catholic University.
Church policy — moved the seat of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church from Lviv to Kyiv, making it national and removing its association solely with Western Ukraine; promoted reconciliation and good relations among different branches of Christianity in Ukraine, especially with the Orthodox Church.
Legacy — laid the foundation for modern spiritual and social life in Ukraine, including church reform, intellectual work, and moral guidance for the nation.

Portal Editorial Team