His Beatitude Sviatoslav calls on the faithful to pray for the fruitful work of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC in Rome
We are destined to be the voice of truth for the Ukrainian people even before the Pope. Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, called on the faithful and people of goodwill to pray for the successful work of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC, which will be held in Rome from September 3 to 13.
“From here, from Stryi, I am embarking on a journey to Rome. On September 3, the Synod of Bishops of our Church begins with a Liturgy in the Basilica of St. Sophia. We will have a meeting of the Synod with the Holy Father Francis. I am asking you: pray for our Synod and this meeting,” His Beatitude Sviatoslav appealed at the end of the Liturgy in the Cathedral Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Stryi on August 28.
The Head of the UGCC emphasized: “For some reason, it turned out during the war that the Pope does not understand Ukraine, and Ukraine does not understand the Pope. We can say the same thing about Russia. The Pope does not understand Russia, neither its history nor its current crimes. And we are the ones who have to be the voice of truth for the Ukrainian people, even before the Holy Father in Rome. And the truth is that many people, even religious leaders, sometimes feel more comfortable in Russian propaganda’s sugar-coated lies than facing the cruel but Ukrainian truth.”
The Primate reminded that the UGCC has always been the mother and teacher of its people, always defended them, always remained their voice before the powers of this world, always been a state-forming Church that supported the national liberation movement of its people, and for them, together with the people, suffered concentration camps, prisons, brutal torture, even death.
“But then, together, we witnessed the resurrection of our freedom and independence. And today, we, the heirs of our glorious predecessors, have the destiny and task not only to fight for our freedom on the battlefield against the Russian aggressor but also to defend the truth on the information front,” the spiritual leader noted.
The Head of the Church called for prayer that the voice of the UGCC would not falter and that the mighty Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky and the indomitable Patriarch Josyf Slipyj would speak through us. “So that our Church,” he added, “could fulfill its mission in the difficult circumstances of the contemporary world. And we will do all this as long as God’s people pray for us, their Church, and trust us, even when someone wishes to destroy this trust.”
On September 10, at 1:30 PM Rome time, the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy will be held at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, presided over by His Beatitude Sviatoslav in concelebration with the bishops of the Synod of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. With the joint service, the UGCC bishops from throughout the world will wrap up the work of the Synod and mark the 400th anniversary of the martyrdom of St. Josaphat.
The UGCC Department for Information
