Olesia Drozdovska
PhD in Philologi, Senior Research Fellow,
Senior Researcher of the Research Institute for Press Studies,
Vasyl Stefanyk National Scientific Library of Ukraine in Lviv,
(Lviv, Ukraine)
Zoriana Nakonechna
PhD in Social Communications,
Senior Researcher of the Research Institute for Press Studies,
Vasyl Stefanyk National Scientifi c Library of Ukraine in Lviv
(Lviv, Ukraine)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.37222/2786-7552-2025-7-2
The First Year Of Andrey Sheptytsky’s Metropolitan Episcopate: Representation In The Press.
The aim of the article is to analyse the media reception of the first year of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky’s episcopal service in the Lviv press in 1901, particularly in the periodicals Dilo, Halychanyn, and Słowo Polskie. The study encompasses various aspects of the coverage of his enthronement, pastoral activity, patronage, and influence on the Ukrainian community. The objectives of the research are to identify, systematise, and analyse newspaper materials reflecting the attitudes of narodovist, Moscophile, and Polish press outlets towards the Metropolitan, as well as to examine the formation of his public image in the social consciousness of early twentieth-century Galicia. The article employs the method of press clipping, which allowed the collection of all relevant publications from the sources under study and their consolidation into a single database for subsequent analysis. Historical-comparative and biographical methods, alongside content analysis and historical reconstruction, facilitated the tracing of the chronology of Sheptytsky’s first year in office, the identification of publication themes, the assessment of tonal evaluations, the dynamics of media narrative formation, and the evaluation of the press’s role in shaping the public image of the church leader. The novelty of the article lies in its comprehensive analysis of the Lviv press materials of 1901, which enables the reconstruction of the initial steps of Andrey Sheptytsky’s episcopal activity, as well as the particularities of the public perception of the new church leader and the expectations associated with his metropolitan service. Conclusions: Even in the first year of his metropolitan service, Andrey Sheptytsky’s activities were systematically covered by the press. Newspapers played a significant role in shaping a positive public image of the Metropolitan. The analysis of press publications demonstrates that Metropolitan Andrey was perceived as a charismatic and strong leader, active in spiritual, cultural, and public life, as a patron, and as a defender of the rights of the Ukrainian community. Materials published in press outlets representing contrasting ideological perspectives record public expectations, interest, and evaluations of the newly elected Metropolitan, thereby helping to reconstruct the media portrayal of his first months in office and characterising the early period of his metropolitan service as a whole.
Keywords: Andrey Sheptytsky, Metropolitan, enthronement, image of religions leader, public opinion, Lviv press, «Dilo», «Halychanyn», «Słowo Polskie».
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