“We Want to Be a Voice of Hope”: 2,000 Ukrainians En Route to Vatican Youth Jubilee
Over two thousand young Ukrainians, including more than one and a half thousand faithful of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church from around the world, have set off for Rome to take part in the Youth Jubilee, which will take place from July 28 to August 3. In total, the event is expected to bring together about half a million participants from 146 countries.
Young people from Ukraine after the joint Liturgy in the Church of St. Barbara, Vienna (Austria), July 26, 2025, photo: Ivanka Bohak
Among the Ukrainian pilgrims are not only young people from Ukraine, but also from Europe, the United States, Canada, and Australia. They all traveled to Rome to witness to the world their living faith, willpower, and desire for peace. Pilgrim groups from Ukraine en route to the Eternal City stopped in Vienna on July 26, where they prayed together at the Divine Liturgy in the Church of St. Barbara of the Ukrainian Catholic Church.
On Monday, July 28, the official program of the Youth Jubilee will begin in Rome, lasting until August 3 and becoming a momentous event for young Christians from around the world. The Youth Jubilee includes spiritual, cultural, and educational events organized by the Dicastery for Evangelization. However, the Ukrainian delegation will also have its own program, organized by the Patriarchal Commission on Youth of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
As Fr. Roman Demush, deputy chairman of the Patriarchal Commission on Youth Affairs of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, told the Information Department of the UGCC, the main goal of the jubilee pilgrimage is to ensure Ukraine’s presence at the Youth Jubilee at a time when the enemy is attempting to destroy everything that is Ukrainian. “The main message we are conveying at the Youth Jubilee is ‘freedom.’ We want to speak of freedom as the superpower of the Ukrainian people, which helps us in this struggle against the forces of evil,” emphasized Fr. Roman Demush.
On July 30, the event “Ukrainians for the World” will take place at the Cathedral of St. Sergius and Bacchus. The program includes prayers for peace in Ukraine and around the world, Divine Liturgy, exhibitions, presentations, and communication with young people from other countries. Ukrainians have prepared special postcards through which they want to thank the world for its support, express their hope, and allow themselves to be embraced.
The pilgrimage will culminate in a prayer vigil and Liturgy with Pope Leo XIV at Tor Vergata, where 25 years ago St. John Paul II said, “Do not be afraid to open the doors to Christ.” What makes the participation of Ukrainian youth special is their deep spiritual experience of the pilgrimage as a personal journey toward peace and renewal.
“Though I am tired, I am glad that I was able to come to Rome to pray and meet Christians from other countries. I am looking forward to this trip to speak with God in peace, rather than to the sound of air raid sirens and Shakheds at home,” said Maria Semenko from the Kyiv Archeparchy of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
“This is not merely a journey—it is an intimate pilgrimage,” emphasized Lilia Opalenyk from the Odessa Exarchate of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. “For me, the Youth Jubilee is a sign that even in the darkness of war, we remain united, free in faith and love. I dream of returning a different person—not broken by war, but strengthened by faith. Hope is what sustains us when everything else seems destroyed. And I want to be the voice of that hope.”
Notably, thanks to the Ticket of Hopecharity campaign, initiated by Most Rev. Bryan Bayda, chairman of the Patriarchal Commission on Youth, more than 100 young people from the Kyiv Metropolia of the UGCC were able to participate in this pilgrimage. Parish and youth communities from Canada and the United States joined in the financial support of Ukrainian pilgrims by donating Tickets of Hope, to cover all transportation and lodging costs for the trip.
In addition, all pilgrims from Ukraine received free packages thanks to the Dicastery for Evangelization. This was a significant gesture of support for Ukrainian youth living in wartime conditions.
The UGCC Department for Information
