Book Presentation. The ‘Lviv Sobor’ of 1946 and Its Aftermath: Towards Truth and Reconciliation

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is an occasion to pray together, as well as to reflect upon the errors of history in order to prevent them from happening again. The presentation of the book “The ‘Lviv Sobor’ of 1946 and its Aftermath: Towards Truth and Reconciliation” (Brill edition), is envisioned precisely in such an atmosphere of constructive encounter.

The Abstract

In 1946 the ‘Lviv Sobor’ voted to liquidate the Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Church. The Moscow Patriarchate considers it a ‘triumph of Orthodoxy,’ while the Catholic Church condemns it as an illegitimate council convened by Soviet authorities. What is the truth? This volume presents the contexts of the ‘Lviv Sobor,’ its aftermath, and reception from various perspectives. Although there is no common narrative, scholars have concluded that the decisions of the ‘Lviv Sobor’ were coerced by Soviet authorities, the Russian Orthodox Church was forced to collaborate, and that reconciliation depends on acknowledging these facts in order to move toward reconciliation.