Sokal – 1 December 2024, photos by Vasyl Sorochuk
The new Eparch of Sokal and Zhovkva, Petro Loza, was enthroned in the Cathedral Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Sokal. It was led by His Beatitude Sviatoslav in concelebration with the Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine, as well as Greek and Roman Catholic bishops from all over Ukraine.
Source: UGCC
Today, 1 December 2024, the enthronement of the new ruling bishop of the Diocese of Sokal and Zhovkva of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Bishop Petro Loza, took place in the Cathedral Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in the Lviv region.
The solemn service was led by the Father and Head of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, in concelebration with the Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine, Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, Bishop Mykhailo Koltun, Bishop Petro Loza and numerous bishops and priests of the UGCC. Mukachevo Greek Catholic Bishop Theodore Matsapula and Roman Catholic bishops also came to Sokal: Bishop Vitaliy Skomarovsky, President of the Bishops’ Conference of Ukraine, and local ordinary Bishop Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki.
At the beginning of the Liturgy, Bishop Andriy Khimyak, Secretary of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC, read out the patriarchal decree naming Bishop Petro Loza as the Eparch of Sokal-Zhovkva.
In the decree, the Head of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, noted that “this year, in view of reaching the canonical age of 75, the resignation of His Grace Bishop Mykhailo Koltun from the government as diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Sokal-Zhovkva of the UGCC was accepted.”
“Taking into account the spiritual needs and good of the faithful of our Church and the vacancy of this episcopal throne, the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC has elected you to the office of the Eparchial Bishop of the Diocese of Sokal-Zhovkva of the UGCC, and we, by the power vested in us, for the glory of God and the salvation of God-loving people, name and appoint you, our beloved brother, diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Sokal-Zhovkva of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church,” the decree reads.
“We ask the Lord Jesus Christ to strengthen you and your faithful in the trials. We call on you to preserve and strengthen the faith and to work faithfully for the salvation of the souls of the faithful of the Sokal-Zhovkva Eparchy, especially the youth who bear the burden of war on their shoulders. May God’s just peace come to our land through your prayers and service,” His Beatitude Sviatoslav said in the document.
Just before the moment of his enthronement, Bishop Petro Loza proclaimed the “Symbol of Faith” and took the oath of office as the ruling bishop of the Diocese of Sokal-Zhovkva. Afterwards, Bishop Petro Loza was enthroned and presented with symbols of spiritual authority.
In his sermon, His Beatitude Sviatoslav explained the meaning of the Gospel passage about the healing of a demon-possessed man in the Gadara region. According to the Head of the UGCC, “Christ, freeing the demon-possessed man, removing his shackles, seems to be performing an act of new creation.”
The hierarch explained that the initiative in calling a person to freedom belongs to God. “If a person is shrouded in an evil spirit, he or she resembles the devil in his or her actions and thoughts. When the Lord God grants the Holy Spirit to a person, He likens him to Himself, and then a person acquires the image and likeness of God, but the gift of freedom must be accepted. This gift is a task, a challenge, a responsibility,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav.