Polish Edition of Military Addresses by the Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Receives the Phoenix 2025 Award
The Polish version of the book of messages by His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, “Ukraine Stands! Ukraine Fights! Ukraine Prays!” published by the Gaudium publishing house in Lublin under the title “Messages of Peace,” received the prestigious Phoenix 2025 award from the Forum of Catholic Publishers of Poland in the category “Spirituality — Testimony.”
The award ceremony took place on October 11 in Warsaw during the grand opening of the 30th Catholic Publishers Exhibition.
This publication features daily messages from the Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church during the first year of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, which were posted on social media. In these messages, His Beatitude Sviatoslav offered spiritual support, words of hope, and reflections on the power of faith, love, and prayer during times of suffering for the Ukrainian people.
The foreword to the Polish edition was written by the Primate of Poland, Archbishop Wojciech Polak, and Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, who expressed their solidarity with the Ukrainian people and highlighted the pastoral dedication of the Father and Head of the UGCC.
The book was translated from Ukrainian by Ewa Rybalt and edited by Fr. Stefan Batrukh.
The jury of the Catholic Publishers Forum, commending the book, noted: “This is a unique publication that is a sort of spiritual diary of the war. It eloquently combines a description of everyday reality, full of pain and tragedy, with deep spiritual reflections and a call to a life based on universal values.”
