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Greetings adressed to His Eminence the Rector of Sumy Theological Seminary from Switzerland

The rector of the seminary, Archbishop of Sumy and Akhtyrka Evlogiy received a letter from the dean of the theological faculty of the University of Fribourg (Switzerland) Prof. Dr. Hans Ulrich Shteymans on the occasion of the opening of the Sumy Seminary.

Your Eminence, dear Archbishop Evlogii,

With great joy I received information about the opening of the Sumy Seminary. Theological education in our time - it is not only deposit to the preparation of good priests and other pastoral staff in Christian communities, but also help to expand the scientific community and society in general.

- Theology allows priests and pastoral staff to testify about his Christian faith and pass it on the basis of spiritual experience, take a perfect knowledge of the Scriptures, the Fathers of the Church, church tradition, also the foundations of a profound knowledge of philosophical wisdom;

- Theology helps students to cooperate and better understand our complex world with the help of an interdisciplinary exchange with other sciences and to detect footprints of God’s mystery in all spheres of life;

- Theology is still alive, despite the threats and crises of our world, the potential for the realization of peace, justice and reconciliation. This confirm that the general hope prepare to both the individual and to all humanity. Seeing the world as a creation of God - it means to be ready to act, as the incorporated by nature and to leave for future generations a developed space to live.

In our opinion, theology is closely connected with the search for a responsible form of life in today's modern and postmodern world. In our department we are very closely monitoring preparations for the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church, as we celebrate this year in our Catholic tradition the 50th anniversary of the end of the Second Vatican Council. Let your Theological Seminary will become a place in which, through prayer and meditation, will contribute to a testimony of truth, "so that the whole world came to believe" (Jn 17,21).

Theological Faculty of Fribourg is intensively develop at national and international level, an intensive exchange with other theological institutions. We include in this exchange also theological schools of other Christian traditions. Our Institute of Ecumenical Reseaches supports especially good contacts with theological institutions of the Orthodox tradition. This institution can act in the future as a partner for dialogue and cooperation at the level of students, doctoral students and teachers of the Sumy seminary. Let the Apostle Andrew, who brought his brother Peter to Christ, protect your Seminary and let our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who has become for us the Bread of Life, bless the work of the seminary. Many years!

Prof. Dr. Hans Ulrich Shteymans,

Dean of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Fribourg, Switzerland