Ivan Choma

Ivan Choma or Khoma (Ukrainian: Іван Хома; 27 November 1923 – 3 February 2006) was a Ukrainian Greek Catholic hierarch and ecclesiastical historian, who served in Italy. He was the titular bishop of Patara and from 22 February 1996 until his death on 3 February 2006 and the Procurator of the Head of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church to the Holy See.

Bishop Ivan Choma
Titular Bishop of Patara
Church	Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
Other posts	Rector of the Ukrainian Catholic University in Rome (1985–2001)
Orders
Ordination	29 June 1949 (Priest) by Ivan Buchko
Consecration	2 April 1977 (Bishop) by Josyf Slipyj
Personal details
Birth name	Ivan Osypovych Choma
Born	(1923-11-27)27 November 1923 Khyriv, Second Polish Republic (present day in Lviv Oblast, Ukraine)
Died	3 February 2006(2006-02-03) (aged 82) Rome, Italy

Biography

Born in Khyriv (present day – in Staryi Sambir Raion, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine) in the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic family of Osyp, the railway worker, and Kateryna Choma in 1923. After graduation of the male gymnasium in Sambir and Przemyśl, he joined Theological Seminary in Przemyśl, but was forced to interrupt his studies by cause of the II World War and subsequently continued in the Theological Seminary in Prešov (present day Slovakia). In 1946 he emigrated to Italy and graduated Pontifical Urbaniana University.[1] He was ordained as priest on 29 June 1949 by Bishop Ivan Buchko for the Eparchy of Przemyśl, Sambir and Sanok.[2] He completed theological studies with Doctor of Theology degree in 1951.

Fr. Choma worked as a second personal assistant for Archbishop Ivan Buchko and from 1963 as the secretary of Cardinal Josyf Slipyj. Also he was an Editor in Chief of the principal Ukrainian scientific-theological magazine "Bohosloviye" (1960–1997).[1]

He was consecrated to the Episcopate on April 2, 1977 in the Castel Gandolfo chapel by Major Archbishop Josyf Slipyj without papal permission (apostolic mandate) in an act which caused many irritations in the Roman Curia,[3] He was recognised as bishop by the Holy See and appointed as the Titular Bishop of Patara on February 22, 1996.[2]

He died in Rome on February 3, 2006.[1]

References

1. "Владика Іван Хома". Official Eparchy of Sambir-Drohobych Site (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 20 September 2017.
2. "Bishop Ivan Choma †". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
3. Apostolische Nachfolge. Ukraine. German [English] site of the German CSSp Province Archived 2017-09-14 at the Wayback Machine.

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Volodymyr Sterniuk (titular)	Titular Bishop of Przemyśl, Sambir and Sanok 1977–1991	Succeeded by Jan Martyniak
Preceded by Vincenzo Maria Jacono	Titular Bishop of Patara 1996–2006	Succeeded by Jaime Spengler
New title	Procurator of the Head of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church to the Holy See 1996–2003	Succeeded by Hlib Lonchyna
Preceded by Josyf Slipyj	Rector of the Ukrainian Catholic University in Rome 1985–2001	Succeeded by transferred to Ukraine