UGCC Head: “Ukraine’s Victory Is Destined to Show God’s Power Over Its Enemies’ Arrogance”
“I will come…” (Mt 8:7) — these words of Christ are spoken to us today. But for this Word to become action, we must believe in the living power of God, which is poured out upon us through the Holy Sacraments of Christ’s Church. This power grants us hope and continually revives it.
This was the message of His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, during his sermon on the feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, delivered at St. Sophia Cathedral in Rome on July 6.
The Head of the UGCC was concelebrating the Divine Liturgy with bishops of the Synod of the UGCC, currently taking place in the Eternal City, at the Patriarchal Procathedral of St. Sophia.
His Beatitude greeted those present with heartfelt words:
“First of all, allow me to embrace you all with a fatherly greeting from Kyiv — from that Kyiv which today has become one of the most dangerous cities in Ukraine.”
He emphasized that the enemy is attempting to destroy the faith and hope of the Ukrainian people. And yet, the very presence of the bishops in Rome, he said, is a testimony that “all the efforts of the enemy of the human race are futile.”
Reflecting on the Gospel passage about the Roman centurion who asked Jesus to heal his servant (Mt 8:5–13), His Beatitude Sviatoslav observed that the centurion recognized in Christ not merely a principle or idea, but a living and powerful God:
“He believed in a God who is alive — a God who is not distant, but who came to humanity. Moreover, His power is being actively poured out upon humankind.”
The Primate drew a parallel between the centurion’s faith and that of the Ukrainian people:
“Today we too may come, as the centurion once did, and say: ‘Arise, Lord, and save us! Show Your power! Amid the ruins, blood, and tears of Ukraine, glorify not our strength, but Yours — with victory over the Russian occupier.’”
His Beatitude also highlighted the significance of the feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help for the Ukrainian nation. He recalled that devotion to her spread throughout Ukrainian lands between the First and Second World Wars — a time when, as he noted, “we Ukrainians had no powerful protectors in this world, when many even denied the existence of Ukraine or its people.”
“At that time, our Church became our only perpetual help,” he said. “Through the Mother Church — through the Mother of God, our perpetual help — we were saved, aided, and continue to be helped. She remains the divine vessel of the power we hear of in today’s Gospel.”
A significant moment also took place during the Divine Liturgy: the solemn transfer of the relics of St. Volodymyr, Equal to the Apostles, to St. Sophia Cathedral in Rome.
“That Volodymyr, who was once stolen from Ukraine by the Moscow occupiers, returns today to his Church,” said His Beatitude. “Today, Prince Volodymyr himself declares that the Church born in the waters of the Dnipro River is here.”
He also recalled the wish of Patriarch Josyf, who envisioned the unity of all Churches of Kyivan tradition and expressed a desire to be buried in St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral in Kyiv.
At the conclusion of his message, His Beatitude Sviatoslav reminded the faithful of important anniversaries: the 30th anniversary of the restoration of the structures of the Kyiv Metropolia, and the 20th anniversary of the return of the UGCC Head’s seat to Kyiv.
“We are the heirs of Kyivan Christianity. The Kyivan Church lives out its tradition fully and in visible communion with the successor of the Apostle Peter. And it is this communion that has sustained our Church through the centuries,” he emphasized.
“Today, the Church is alive and thriving — in Ukraine and around the world — carrying, as a Mother, her perpetual help to her people. And with the presence of St. Volodymyr among us, we are assured that all the confessors, martyrs, and saints of Kyivan Christianity stand with us today.”
The UGCC Department for Information
