What explains the active participation in the expansion of the Ukrainian national idea of Greek Catholic priests?

The main difference between Greek Catholic priests and the bulk of the population in western Ukraine is that they had a significantly higher level of literacy, or even they were the only literate people in the village. Therefore, only they could be more imbued with various ideas, including the Ukrainian national idea. They could use certain elements of promoting the idea in their sermons, which gathered a large number of people. At the same time, the priests enjoyed considerable respect among the population.