Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Meets with Kyrylo Budanov: “We Are Ready to Build a Partnership with the State”
On March 11, in Kyiv, a meeting was held between His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, and Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine. It took place at the Patriarchal Center of the UGCC.
At the beginning of the conversation, the both sides recalled their previous meeting, which occurred at the end of March 2022, when Russian troops were on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital. Reflecting on the events of that time, they noted that during those dramatic days, the Ukrainian people especially felt God’s presence and support.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav thanked Mr. Budanov for visiting the Kyiv headquarters of the Head of the UGCC, congratulated him on his new appointment, and assured him of his prayers for his ministry and for success in the negotiations to end the war.
During the conversation, special attention was paid to the history and contemporary mission of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Against the backdrop of the 80th anniversary of the Lviv pseudo-council of 1946, the Head of the UGCC spoke about the history of persecution and martyrdom of the Church. He emphasized that throughout all periods of Ukrainian history, a Church that has been both state-minded and state-building, but has never been a state Church.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav also mentioned the historical role of the Church in supporting the national life of Ukrainians, in particular the activities of the Main Ruthenian Council during the events of the “Spring of Nations” in 1848. He noted that both the Russian imperial authorities and the Soviet regime viewed the UGCC as an impediment to the russification and sovietization of the Ukrainian people, which led to its liquidation in the Russian Empire in 1839 and its violent suppression in the USSR in 1946.
The head of the Office of the President of Ukraine was particularly interested in the history of the Church’s underground existence during the Soviet period. The Head of the UGCC spoke about the activities of underground seminaries and pastoral ministry in conditions of persecution, when the Church became one of the largest forms of public opposition to the communist regime.
During the meeting, current developments within the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church were also discussed. His Beatitude Sviatoslav shared that today the Church has 36 eparchies and exarchates worldwide, 16 of which are in Ukraine and 20 abroad; these structures are united into eight metropolias—four in Ukraine and four outside its borders. According to sociological research, in particular by the Razumkov Center, during the full-scale war, the number of UGCC faithful has increased by about one and a half times. Almost 90 % of Greek Catholics regularly attend Sunday services.
The discussion highlighted the important role of the Church in social service, helping war victims, and strengthening civil society. The parties emphasized that in the future, a particular challenge will be healing the wounds of war, overcoming internal social divisions, and preserving the unity of Ukrainians—both in Ukraine and abroad—as well as facilitating the return of compatriots to rebuild the state.
After the meeting, Kyrylo Budanov visited the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ. His Beatitude Sviatoslav presented the architectural design of the cathedral and spoke about its role during the war. In the crypts of the cathedral, they viewed the shelter, which during the past difficult winter also functioned as a Center of Resilience. Currently, the administrative center of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church also performs an important humanitarian mission: about 800 hot meals are distributed from here to people in need daily.
The Head of the UGCC assured the Head of the Presidential Office of the Church’s prayers and readiness to develop partnerships with the state to serve the Ukrainian people and strengthen their resilience amidst the war and post-war reconstruction.
At the end of the meeting, His Beatitude Sviatoslav presented his guest with several symbolic gifts: a book of his daily addresses during the first year of the war, a historical account of the activities of the Soviet secret services in the church environment, an envelope with a Vatican postage stamp issued to mark the anniversaries of the revival of the structures of the Kyiv Metropolia and the return of the seat of the Head of the UGCC to Kyiv, as well as a commemorative medal dedicated to these events. The stamp depicts the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ during a power outage against the backdrop of the setting sun—an image symbolizing the Risen Christ as the Sun that never sets.
The meeting was also attended by Fr. Lubomyr Yavorsky, Patriarchal Economist of the UGCC and head of Mudra Sprava Foundation, and Fr. Oleksa Petriv, head of the UGCC Department for External Relations with State Authorities in Ukraine. During the conversation, further development of cooperation and issues related to pastoral ministry, in particular for Ukrainians abroad, were discussed.
The UGCC Department for Information
