For us, Catholics, the Pope and the Vatican are not politics, but a way of seeing the nature of Christ’s Church: Head of the UGCC
For us, Catholics, the Pope, and the Vatican are not so much politics or an information constituent as a specific vision of the very nature of the Church of Christ. We are Catholics not because Francis is the Pope, not because the Pope speaks rightly or wrongly on international issues, but because we believe that the Apostle Peter in the College of Apostles and the successors of the Apostle Peter have a unique role in the Church, emphasized the Father and Head of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, in an interview with the Hlavkom news agency.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav explained that even though in times of war Ukraine does not understand the Pope with respect to our situation, our fight, our pain, and suffering, it is necessary to know that the question of our Catholic identity is not political, but spiritual, ecclesiastical.
“We are Catholics because we believe that the Apostle Peter in the College of Apostles and the successors of the Apostle Peter have a distinctive role in the Church. We paid a dear price for the unity of our Church with the successor of the Apostle Peter — with our blood, centuries of persecution, and suffering of our martyrs and confessors of the faith,” said the Head of the Church. “Therefore, it hurts us when Ukraine does not understand the Pope when the Pope does not understand Ukraine, and in this direction, we have always been and will be active.”
In addition, His Beatitude Sviatoslav shared with the reporters that he is not afraid that the faithful of the UGCC will leave the Church because of various misinterpretations that exist today with certain political positions of certain persons in the Vatican.
“On the contrary, I think that today, as Ukraine, we must realize and understand more and more deeply what function the Pope has in the world and the Church. Even when criticizing him, we will be exchanging views on what we expect from him. Any healthy criticism is useful and, interestingly, the Pope allows it and listens to it,” the Primate said in the interview.
The UGCC Department for Information
