[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 100 (Tuesday, June 13, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E816]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   PASSING OF CARDINAL LUBOMYR HUSAR

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARCY KAPTUR

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 13, 2017

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, with deepest regret and gratitude for his 
precious and sacrificial life, I wish to include in the Record a 
tribute to the earthly life of Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, a worldwide 
pillar of holiness, unity, and righteousness. Remembered for his 
unwavering commitment to defeat tyranny in Ukraine and beyond, we honor 
his legacy as an indomitable defender of global harmony and respect for 
life.
  Cardinal Husar's tireless dedication to his faith helped revive the 
spirit of an aching people. In an era fraught with division and 
tensions, he fought to preserve Greek Orthodoxy in Ukraine, using its 
teachings to restore the identity and morale of the nation, and to 
inspire millions beyond.
  As he worked to bridge the fissures of a divided world, Cardinal 
Husar courageously sought to remedy the upheaval of the last century. 
Cardinal Husar welcomed John Paul II back to a former Soviet republic 
for the first time in a thousand years and helped strengthen global 
interfaith cooperation. I was privileged to be present at that 
magnificent and grand occasion during which a mass was offered in open 
fields outside Kyiv, hundreds of chalices gleamed in the sun as the 
eastern and western Catholic traditions opened the event to people of 
all traditions.
  The Catholic Church in Poland was the vault of national memory and 
identity during the 123 years the nation was temporarily erased from 
the European map. Similarly, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church led 
the archival documentation of Ukraine's national identity and 
aspiration during the decades Stalin tried to starve Ukraine into 
defeat. Stalin's efforts to erase the Ukrainian language, history and 
culture, failed because of the Church's preservation.
  Cardinal Husar championed and supported the establishment of the 
Ukrainian Catholic University's development in Lviv. Astoundingly, it 
is the only Catholic institution of higher learning in the former 
Soviet space, a credit to Cardinal Husar's leadership. Even today, it 
remains one of the pillars of higher education in Ukraine, uncorrupted 
by the grim Soviet legacy.
  An enlightened figure, his temperance and compassion instilled 
significant progress in the greater reconciliation efforts underway.
  A national symbol, Cardinal Husar guided his homeland through an era 
of great uncertainty, as it struggled to shed the horrors of the past 
and regained independence with the historic opportunity to build 
forward toward an open and more democratic society, and vital 
crossroads between East and West. Driven by his own internal moral 
compass, his teachings helped to usher in a new era of freedom and 
unity. He exuded eternal hope for his newly emancipated people. For the 
Cardinal, freedom itself was more than liberty; ultimately, it provided 
him ``the opportunity to do good.''
  The last time I had the privilege of speaking with Cardinal Husar, 
his vision was failing him. But he was completely lucid and urged me to 
always maintain hope for the future. When he exited the meeting, he 
proceeded up the stairwell of his residence with a lit candle in hand. 
That flame continues to burn bright in his memory.
  Cardinal Husar's teachings have preserved a spirited and theological 
legacy instructing future generations for years to come. May his 
teachings continue to inspire and involve our work every day towards a 
unified global community. Against all darkness, I am confident the 
light of Lubomyr Husar will continue to shine and endure. May his soul 
guide and protect his beloved homeland.

                          ____________________