It has long been common knowledge that some nieces of the late Pope John Paul II reside in Ternopil oblast. Recently, it was learned that our region is also home to the Rev. Pavlo Kohut, a close friend of the current pope, Benedict XVI. They not only sat at the same desk in the seminary but also shared the same room. Rev. Pavlo revealed this to journalists during his meeting with Ivan Stoiko, chairman of the Ternopil Oblast Administration.
The Rev. Pavlo Kohut was born in 1926 in the village of Koniukhy, in the Ternopil region’s Koziv district. He ended up in France after the Second World War, having left his homeland to devote his life to serving the Lord. Now that Rev. Pavlo has 54 years of pastoral activity under his belt, he recalls those bygone days like a strange dream.
Praying every day with his parents instilled a love of God in the young boy. In order to become a priest, the young man had to tread a thorny path. “I remember my mother seeing me off to the village outskirts in the woods,” says Father Pavlo, recalling his difficult journey to Europe. “When she was saying goodbye to me, my mother did not know what would happen to me, whether I would be able to cross those woods. She had no news of me for ten years! It was only after Stalin’s death that I wrote a letter home that I was safe and sound and working as a priest in the Lorraine region of France.” Back in 1944, unknown roads brought Pavlo Kohut to Germany, where he completed his secondary education. Later he studied in theological seminaries in France and Germany. In Germany he met the future pope Benedict XVI, whose secular name was Joseph Ratzinger. “We met in 1950, when I came to Freising to finish my theological studies. I shared a room with Ratzinger, never suspecting that one day he would become pope,” the Rev. Kohut says. “We happened to sit at the same classroom desk. We became instant friends, which is not surprising because Joseph was very kindhearted, straightforward, and clever. We would often take walks and work together. In his youth the current pope was a handsome, dutiful, and well-mannered young man; he would always listen attentively to others and, naturally, he was very devout. He is the same today. At first, we were lodged in one room. There were four of us. There were no special amenities. In order to wash, we had to fetch a basin of water in the evening and wash in the morning. In the winter, the water would sometimes freeze because of the extreme cold in the room, and we had to chop up the ice.”
Describing the pope’s personality, the Rev. Pavlo Kohut says that Joseph Ratzinger is a modest and dignified individual, and an excellent theologian with a crystal- clean character, who will never compromise with evil or say that black is white. This is why some people dislike him and attach all kinds of labels to him.
Thanks to his acquaintance with Rev. Pavlo, Joseph Ratzinger came to know about Ukraine and its problems. From our compatriot he learned that the Ukrainian church was experiencing a difficult time. “For example, I told Joseph about my mother’s younger brother, who was tortured to death in prison in 1941,” Rev. Pavlo reminisces.
After being ordained in 1951, the two friends went their separate ways. They didn’t see each other until Ratzinger became Archbishop of Munich. “When we met again, he began talking as though we had said goodbye to each other just the day before,” Father Pavlo says in surprise. Joseph Ratzinger began recalling every detail of events that had occurred 25 years earlier. He asked if Pavlo had managed to get in touch with his parents.
“I saw that he was very attentive and had a very good memory,” our compatriot said in amazement. “We last saw each other during the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of our ordination. We went to Freising again. I celebrated the anniversary with my parishioners in Alsace, then to Munich to serve the Holy Liturgy in the church where I was ordained. That Sunday Ratzinger held a service in a Munich cathedral. We met the next day in the seminary in Freising.”
“I was recently in Rome,” says Father Pavlo, “and had a short audience with Benedict XVI. Although there were many other people waiting to see the pope, we greeted each other with joy. Joseph invited me to visit the Vatican, so that we could have a longer talk. This is a great honor for me. I am sure Benedict is worthy of St. Peter’s See and will be able to lead Christians because God will help him.”
