The administrator of the Mukachevo Greek Catholic Diocese, Bishop Nil (Lushchak), published the “Appeal of the Lord of the Nile, Apostolic Administrator”. The appeal is posted on the website of the diocese.

“Recently, more and more discussions have appeared on social networks of the Internet regarding the canonical status of the Mukachevo Greek Catholic Diocese. In this regard, I would like to state the following: the Apostolic See, headed by the Roman Bishop, recognizes the status of the Church of its right in the Mukachevo diocese. This fact, especially in this Jubilee year, should encourage all of us to a more intense prayer of gratitude for all the gifts, both spiritual and others, which we, thanks to our Church, have received, and which, I am sure, serve for the benefit of God’s people and Ukraine.

We, as Catholics, fully and in everything adhere to the attitudes and positions of the Apostolic Capital, including on the status of our Church. Proceeding from the fact that, from the point of view of dignity, all Churches of their rights are equal to each other and have complete freedom with the observance of the common and their own right to form and develop the internal life of their Church, apart from the supreme authority of the Church, there is not a single competent forum or authority that would be able to change the canonical status of this or that Eastern Catholic Church to its own right.

Caring for peace and goodness in our Church, I ask and call on the faithful and clergy of the Mukachevo diocese and all people of goodwill to pray for our Church and not to get involved in such discussions that in any way can harm peace and Christian love between us, especially during during Great Lent, while waiting for the joyful and glorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ,” the statement reads.