“You Are the Voice of European Conscience!” — President of the French Bishops’ Conference Addresses the Head of the UGCC
On November 5, 2024, during the Plenary Assembly of the French Bishops’ Conference in Lourdes, Archbishop Éric de Moulins-Beaufort of Reims, President of the French Bishops’ Conference, on behalf of the bishops of France, addressed the Father and Head of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, with words of support and gratitude for his spiritual leadership during the war in Ukraine.
“You are the voice of the European conscience! You embody this voice, you make it heard,” said the Archbishop, emphasizing the crucial role that His Beatitude Sviatoslav plays as a moral authority for the Ukrainian people and for the whole of Europe in the face of Russian aggression.
First of all, the President of the French Bishops’ Conference welcomed the Head of the UGCC to the assembly and commended his military addresses to Ukrainians, which give strength and hope in times of war: “This is an act of ‘spiritual resistance’! You are well aware that the resistance of your people to the invasion carries a spiritual dimension and spiritual value.”
The Archbishop of Reims also underscored the deep connection of the Ukrainian Church with the historical and moral traditions being passed down through the generations, dating from Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky to the present.
“The moral tradition of the Church and the experience of your Church enable you to clearly expose the ideology of the Russian world, which serves as food and justification for the whole discourse of conquest and occupation,” the Archbishop told the Head of the UGCC.
Moreover, in his speech, Archbishop Éric de Moulins-Beaufort assured that the bishops of France firmly endorse the mission of the UGCC in Ukraine and abroad, expressing solidarity not only with Catholics but also with all citizens of Ukraine, regardless of their religious affiliation.
“The precision of your words, the calmness you possess in the midst of the storm, your choice to remain in Kyiv despite the advance of Russian troops and the fact that you topped the list of people to be killed will embolden us, the bishops of France, to calmly weather the relative storms that sometimes come upon us,” the archbishop addressed His Beatitude Sviatoslav, adding: — “In Christ, we hope to emerge from this experience mature and stronger, freer and filled with greater joy.”
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“Ukraine is not alone in this struggle. It is not alone! Not alone!” — Head of the UGCC to the French Bishops at the close of his visit
On November 5, 2024, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, concluded his official visit to France by participating in the opening of the Plenary Assembly of the French Bishops’ Conference in Lourdes.
The UGCC Department for Information
