The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Svyatoslav (Shevchuk) held a meeting with the newly elected Pope Leo XIV in the library of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. During the conversation, the head of the church gave the pontiff the lists of Ukrainian prisoners and missing persons, and also invited him to Ukraine, informs UGCC website.
At the beginning of the audience, Svyatoslav congratulated the Pope on his election to the Apostolic throne and expressed gratitude for his attention to Ukraine.
“The Ukrainian people have already characterized you as the Pope of peace”, – he noted.
In response, Leo XIV assured that he would continue to stand by the Ukrainians:
“I am with the Ukrainian people. The Holy See will continue to promote and create all the necessary conditions for dialogue and accompany the Ukrainian people in this terrible time of history.”
The head of the UGCC said that he handed over to the pontiff the lists of Ukrainians who are in Russian captivity or are considered missing. According to Svyatoslav, these lists were handed over to him by the families of prisoners of war with a request to personally hand them to the Pope.
“When the Russian side receives these lists from the Vatican, we have evidence that the treatment of these prisoners is improving,” – he emphasized.
The head of the UGCC invited the Pope to visit Ukraine:
“When Saint Pope John Paul II came to us, Ukrainians believed that communism would never return to our land. Today, we believe that the pope’s visit will help stop the war in Ukraine.”
During the audience, Svyatoslav told the pontiff about the pastoral ministry of the UGCC in wartime, emphasizing the importance of being close to people who are experiencing grief and loss.
“Our primary task is to be close to our people and to preach the Gospel of hope. As pastors, we have learned a new kind of ministry – pastoral care of grief. Sometimes we cannot find any words of consolation for a mother who has lost her child, but we can and should be close to her.”, he explained.
At the end of the meeting, the Head of the UGCC presented Pope Leo XIV with a symbolic painting depicting the pain of the Ukrainian people. The author of the work is the artist Bohdan Pylypiv, the father of the fallen Ukrainian soldier Andrii.
