Main Theme of the 2025 Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church: Pastoral Care for Families in Wartime
The central theme of this year’s Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, to be held from June 30 to July 10 at the Ukrainian Pontifical College of St. Josaphat in Rome, is pastoral care for families during wartime. Bishop Arkadiusz Trochanowski, Bishop of the Eparchy of Olsztyn-Gdańsk, is overseeing the preparation of this theme in collaboration with a team of experts and clergy. In his remarks, he emphasized the deep significance of this issue, rooted in the dramatic challenges faced by Ukrainian families as a result of the full-scale war waged by the Russian Federation against Ukraine.
“The most fulfilling life is realized in community, especially in its smallest unit—the family. It is within the family that a person’s religious, moral, and emotional foundations are formed,” said Bishop Trochanowski, who also serves as Chairman of the Patriarchal Commission for the Family and Laity.
According to him, the war has dealt a devastating blow to the basic building block of society: families have been torn apart, fractured, or deeply traumatized by loss, displacement, and grief.
Among the main challenges that prompted the choice of the Synod’s theme are:
- Widespread destruction of family ties due to the war
- A rise in divorces and dysfunctional family structures
- A decline in young people’s commitment to marriage
- An increase in cohabitation and non-binding relationships
- Spiritual isolation of families, particularly in the diaspora
- The threat of assimilation among Ukrainian children abroad
- A worsening demographic crisis, especially in eastern Ukraine.
“We are confronted with the tragedies of families who have lost loved ones, women and children left without husbands, and men on the frontlines deprived of emotional support from home. These realities demand special attention and compassionate pastoral care,” the bishop stressed.
Beyond the immediate consequences of war, the Church identifies deeper roots of the crisis: the loss of understanding of God’s plan for the family, a weakening of spiritual life, and the growing influence of secularism and societal pressure.
Demographic trends are equally alarming. In the first half of 2024, Ukraine recorded 286 deaths per 100 births—a ratio that Bishop Trochanowski warns poses a serious threat to the country’s cultural, economic, and spiritual future.
Eparchial Family Day in the Eparchy of Olsztyn-Gdańsk, June 2025
Nevertheless, even in these dark times, the Church sees signs of hope in the witness of active, faith-filled families.
“We need families who not only live their faith but are also ready to share it with others—supporting priests in parishes, and accompanying those who are alone or adrift,” Bishop Trochanowski affirmed.
He also noted that priestly families—those closely involved in the life of the Church—can play a special role in modeling unity in love, prayer, and service.
In response to today’s pressing challenges, the UGCC plans to develop a long-term program for the pastoral care of families, offering a spiritual and communal response to the profound wounds afflicting Ukrainian society.
Press Service of the Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
