Nomitation of Father Ihor Rantsya to Episcopate Held in Paris
On December 17, 2025, at St. Volodymyr the Great Cathedral in Paris (France), a Great Vespers with the rite of episcopal nomination of Fr. Ihor Rantsya was celebrated, electing him ruling bishop of the Paris Eparchy of St. Volodymyr the Great. The rite of ordination was led by His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, together with Bishop Borys Gudziak, Metropolitan of Philadelphia and first bishop of the Eparchy of Paris, and Bishop Hlib Lonchyna, the current apostolic administrator of the Eparchy of St. Volodymyr the Great.
At the beginning of the ceremony, the Papal Bull was read out in French and Ukrainian.
Following this, Bishop Andriy Khimyak, Secretary of the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, read out the Decree of the Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church on the nomination of Fr. Ihor Rantsya as bishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and the Decree proclaiming him eparchial bishop of the Eparchy of St. Volodymyr the Great in Paris for Ukrainians of the Byzantine Rite.
“After the distinguished service of your predecessors, a new stage in the development of this eparchy is beginning, entrusted to you, our venerable brother Ihor!” reads the decree proclaiming Bishop Ihor Rantsya as eparchial bishop of the Paris Eparchy. “In view of the vacancy of the episcopal seat and the needs of our faithful, the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church has elected you, and His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has appointed you bishop of the Eparchy of St. Volodymyr the Great, with its seat in Paris.”
“We urge you, in accord with the teaching of the Apostle of the Nations, to be ‘blameless, hospitable, kind, wise, just, pious, self-controlled, holding firmly to the true teaching as taught… able to instruct in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict it’ (Titus 1:7–9),” the document states.
In addition, the decree proclaiming Father Ihor as eparchial bishop states that he is accepting this ministry at a time when Ukraine is engulfed in a bloody, aggressive war that has brought not only massive destruction and the death of civilians, but also a huge wave of forced migration: “Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians in search of safety have found themselves in the territory of the Holy Volodymyr the Great Eparchy. Be ready to serve with paternal love all those who have suffered from this war.”
Then the newly nominated bishop professed his faith and swore allegiance to Pope Leo XIV and His Beatitude Sviatoslav and their successors, placing his hand on the Gospel. He then celebrated Great Vespers.
On December 18, at 3 PM, the Archiepiscopal Divine Liturgy with the consecration and installation of the new bishop Ihor will take place at the Church of Saint Sulpice (Église Saint-Sulpice, 2 rue Palatine, 75006 Paris).
The UGCC Department for Information
