“Uniting the Scattered”: How Ukrainian Greek Catholic Youth in Rome Bore Witness to Christ
In Rome, where the voice of the Universal Church resounds, Ukrainians have been especially prominent this year. More than two thousand young Ukrainians from different parts of the world—from near-frontline cities in Ukraine to diaspora communities in Canada and the United States—have come for the Jubilee of Youth. Together with bishops and priests and leaders of youth commissions, young people of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine, and the Greek Catholic Eparchy of Mukachevo gathered to pray, bear witness to their faith, and reaffirm their vocation to be “the salt of the earth and the light of the world.”
On July 30 and 31, World Youth Days were held in Rome, which became a testimony and reminder that the youth of the Church are becoming its voice, face, and heart, carrying the light of Christ where it is so needed—for Ukraine and for the whole world. The Patriarchal Commission on Youth of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church organized the anniversary program for the Ukrainian delegation. The event was part of the worldwide Jubilee of the Catholic Church’s Youth.
“The Jubilee of Youth is not just an event. It is a pilgrimage in which we draw strength from God and build a community capable of witnessing Christ in the world,” said Bishop Bryan Bayda, chairman of the Patriarchal Commission on Youth Affairs of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
Dialogue with the world
On July 30, Ukrainians began the day with twelve hours of Byzantine-style prayer in the Cathedral of Sts. Sergius and Bacchus and the Zhyrovychi Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which lasted from dawn to dusk, filling Rome with songs and prayers for peace and victory for Ukraine.
The culmination of the first day was the Divine Liturgy in the Basilica of Santa Maria ai Monti, led by Bishop Hryhoriy Komar, Apostolic Administrator for the faithful of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Italy.
In his sermon, he addressed young pilgrims with a call to become witnesses of Christ: “We have come here to ask God’s help for our soldiers and for the right to remain ourselves. Dear young people, use these days to bear witness to the truth and your faith. Let us not be afraid to bear witness to Christ not only in church, but also in our own environment and on social media. Following Christ means finding peace in our hearts, because He Himself is our peace and our hope.”
After the Liturgy, a program entitled “Dialogue of Ukrainian Youth with the World” was held in the square near the Cathedral of Sts. Sergius and Bacchus. Ukrainian bands, including MetaNoya (from the Greek metanoia, “repentance”) and PopryVse (Despite Everything”), filled the heart of Rome with music and prayer. Young people took part in a master class on Petrykivka painting, a flash mob theater on stilts organized by Gloria, and prayer songs accompanied by the bandura with Anastasia Voituk. The atmosphere truly demonstrated that Ukrainian faith and culture are capable of speaking to the world.
At the spiritual home of Ukrainians
On July 31, Ukrainian pilgrims gathered at St. Sophia Pro-Cathedral, a symbolic place built by Patriarch Yosyf Slipyj as a spiritual home for Ukrainians around the world.
In his welcome address, Bishop Bryan Bayda thanked everyone who made this pilgrimage a reality, especially the late Holy Father Francis, the current Pope Leo XIV, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Italian Bishops’ Conference, the Apostolic Exarchate of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Italy, and Bishop Hryhoriy Komar, as well as the numerous volunteers, benefactors, and the organizing committee of this pilgrimage of Ukrainians to Rome.
“Thank you to the courageous young people who came to bear witness to the hope we have in Jesus. The enemy can destroy Ukraine with missiles, but it is impossible to destroy prayer; it is the solar panel of the soul. No one can break this connection with God!” emphasized the bishop.
Father Roman Demush, deputy chairman of the Patriarchal Commission on Youth Affairs, emphasized the importance of this gathering: “The slogan of the Ukrainian program is ‘Uniting the Scattered.’ The young people who have come here are the face of hope and inspiration for the whole Church. Here, in St. Sophia’s Cathedral, we proclaim to the whole world: Ukraine stands, fights, and prays!”
According to the organizers, the young people who have come to Rome these days are the face of hope and inspiration: “Hope will never abandon young Ukrainians; it will accompany them, and young people will bear witness to this hope in God with their lives.”
The key word that Ukrainian pilgrims brought with them to the Youth Jubilee is “freedom.”
“Freedom is the superpower of Ukrainians and Ukrainian youth, because the burden of this war, as our Primate often says, has fallen mainly on the shoulders of young people. We draw this freedom from God’s strength and are strengthened in this struggle against the forces of evil,” added the deputy chairman of the Patriarchal Commission on Youth Affairs.
Throughout the day, young people took an active part in panel discussions and workshops on spiritual leadership, volunteering, and service. Among the numerous guests and speakers were Emanuela Gitto from Catholic Action, Brother Benoît from the Taizé community, Bishop Paul Kyung-Sang Lee, as well as Ukrainian experts and opinion leaders—Oleh Tsunyovsky, Natalia Syrotych, Fr. Marko Semehen, Andriy Yurash, Oksana Moroz, and others.
Cardinal Americo Manuel Alves Aguiar also addressed Ukrainian youth, calling them “pilgrims of hope” with deep gratitude. He reminded them that despite the pain and trials of war, Ukrainian young men and women had already shown the world the strength of their faith and their desire for peace during World Youth Day in Lisbon. “Your presence here is a powerful sign that Christian youth do not surrender to the logic of violence,” the cardinal emphasized. He also added words of support: “Dear Ukrainian youth, you are not alone. The Church is with you. Young people around the world pray with you, walk with you, and dream with you.”
Afterwards, a solemn Divine Liturgy was celebrated, presided over by Bishop Bryan Bayda, concelebrated by Bishop Hryhoriy Komar, Apostolic Administrator for the faithful of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Italy, Bishop Maksym Ryabukha, Exarch of Donetsk, and Bishop Vitaliy Kryvytskyi, Bishop of the Kyiv-Zhytomyr Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine.
Witnesses of Hope
The evening concert program brought young people together in prayer and joy. Christian bands created an atmosphere of spiritual festivity—something that is so often lacking among young people in wartime.
Thanks to the charity campaign “Ticket of Hope,” initiated by Bishop Bryan Bayda, more than 100 young people from the Kyiv Metropolia of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, particularly from the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine, participated in the pilgrimage. This gave young people from the frontline areas an opportunity to escape the realities of war, at least for a moment, and to share with the world their strength of will, their faith in God, and their prayers for a long-awaited just peace in their homeland.
Anastasia, 18, from Kherson, shared: “It is very important for me to feel the support of other young people and the Church here in Rome, as well as to speak about the realities of life today for Ukrainians in the frontline and de-occupied regions,” she said. “I pray for peace and want the world not to forget about Ukraine. We are showing that even in times of war, our faith is stronger than fear.”
For 16-year-old Mykyta from Kamyanske, participating in the jubilee pilgrimage to Rome is “about standing together in faith, even when everything around you seems uncertain.” “I want to represent my country with dignity and pray for all those who cannot be here with us,” the young man added.
The Youth Jubilee in Rome showed that Ukrainian youth are the face of the Church, which prays, serves, and bears witness to Christ in the world. And it is with this hope that they return home to share the light of faith where it is most needed.
The UGCC Department for InformationPhoto credit: Ivanna Bohak
