UGCC Head Expresses Condolences on the Passing of Pope Francis
In a letter addressed to Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Head and Father of the UGCC, expressed his condolences on the passing of Pope Francis.
“Amid the Paschal joy that proclaims the victory of life over death, we accompany our dear Pope Francis with faith and prayer on his journey to the house of the Heavenly Father,” the Head of the UGCC wrote in the letter.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav recalled his personal encounter with the Pontiff in Argentina: “When I arrived in Argentina as a young bishop to serve the faithful of our Church, Cardinal Bergoglio welcomed me as a true father and friend, guiding me through the pastoral challenges in the country that was his earthly homeland. He remembered with deep gratitude the Ukrainian Bishop Stepan Chmil, who introduced him to our Church and shared with him its story of martyrdom under communist persecution.”
“On behalf of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC, our clergy, monastics, and faithful, I express my heartfelt condolences on the passing of His Holiness Francis. I thank God for the gift of his life and ministry—for his tireless efforts to end the war in Ukraine, his constant appeals for a just peace, and his fatherly closeness to the ‘martyred’ Ukrainian people,” His Beatitude Sviatoslav stated.
In the letter, he also highlighted the Pope’s efforts to assist in the return of deported Ukrainian children and prisoners from Russia: “I recall with prayerful gratitude the Pope’s commitment to help in many difficult situations, especially concerning our captives and deported children. When the powerful of this world refused to hear his calls for peace, he reached out to the peripheries of human suffering, revealing to them a merciful and loving God.”
“May the risen Christ open the gates of His Kingdom to the newly departed Servant of the Servants of God, Pope Francis, and grant him eternal rest—where there is no pain, no sorrow, and no mourning. Eternal memory! Christ is risen!” His Beatitude concluded in prayer.
Secretariat of the Head of the UGCC in Rome
