Fifty years ago, on Nov. 1, 1971, the hierarchs of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, during the fifth Synod of its bishops that was held in Rome at Ss. Sergius and Bacchus Church (the oldest Ukrainian property outside of Ukraine), confirmed Archbishop-Major Josyf Cardinal Slipyj as the Church’s prime hierarch. It was seen as a major step for the Church to move forward toward self-governance and the election of its own bishops, and with the ultimate goal of the creation of a patriarchate.
