In an interview with the newspaper “Den” (The Day) published on December 16, Father Iwan Dacko, PhD, president of the Institute of Ecumenical Studies of the Ukrainian Catholic University and head of the St. Sophia Religious Association in Rome, Italy, talked, among other things, about the legacy of Patriarch Josyf Slipyj and Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky regarding education.

Metropolitan Sheptytsky was the leader of the Ukrainian Catholic Church from 1901 to 1944, and Patriarch Slipyj from 1944 to 1984. Fr. Dacko was the personal secretary of Patriarch Slipyj.

“The Church still has many unresolved questions,” said Fr. Dacko. “Still, we can be proud of some achievements. We have revived the structure of the church and we are trying to support quality, corruption-free education. Supporting education is a command that Patriarch Josyf Slipyj and his predecessor, Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky, left us.”

Historically the church has invested too little in its laity, according to Fr. Dacko. “Today we are not afraid to do this,” he added. “More than 200 Ukrainians study at Roman pontifical universities, many lay people among them. They study not only theology, but art and other disciplines, also. I am the president of the Institute of Ecumenical Studies, where many secular journalists now study.”

Read an English translation of the full interview here