Reverend Stepan Sus at the Ukrainian World Congress Summit: The task of the Church is to help Ukrainians preserve their own identity
On April 13, a Ukrainian World Congress Summit was held in Bucharest (Romania), where the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church was represented by Reverend Stepan Sus, head of the Pastoral Migration Department of the UGCC.
This was reported by the Pastoral and Migration Department of the UGCC.
The summit began with a prayer for Ukraine led by Bishop Stepan and a minute of silence to honor the fallen defenders.
Opening the summit, the bishop wished the participants a successful event, “so that together we can help defeat the enemy, help Ukrainians who have suffered from the war, and help those who are far from their homes because they were forced to flee the war.”
The event was held in the halls of the Romanian Parliament and brought together more than 200 leaders and representatives of Ukrainian communities from 55 countries and 5 continents.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss key priorities and agree on the UWC’s strategic response to the historic challenges facing Ukraine and the global Ukrainian community.
During his speech at the discussion panel “Unity and Strength of Ukrainian Hromadas — the Key to Common Success,” Bishop Stepan said that for many people the war was a moment of conversion, sometimes even to Ukrainianism.
He pointed out that many Ukrainians who left for different countries as a result of the war began to learn the Ukrainian language, attend Ukrainian churches, and enrolled their children in Ukrainian schools and organizations.
“They rethought and reconsidered what it means to be Ukrainian. This is a return to their own identity. There are Ukrainians here who were born in Canada, the United States, and other countries, but this did not prevent them from preserving their own identity. Yes, they are citizens of Canada and the United States, but first and foremost they are Ukrainians, people who recognize their roots and their values. And the task of the Church is to help preserve this identity,” emphasized Bishop Stepan. — “In many countries, the Church became the first community of Ukrainians. Secular public organizations have already been formed under the auspices of the Church. The church is a venue for Ukrainians to meet. And it is important not to lose those people so that they see that they are not alone, that there are many of us, that we are a powerful driving force. Our task is to build our communities — both church and secular — in those countries where Ukrainians have found themselves and live for various reasons, and to do everything to preserve our identity.”
The UGCC Department for Information
