Major Archbishop Shevchuk: ‘Pope remains close to suffering Ukrainians’

By Salvatore Cernuzio and Lisa Zengarini

Pope Francis received Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk in audience on Thursday.

The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church is in Rome for the Synod on Synodality, where he carries the voice of the suffering Ukrainian people and all Eastern Churches.

The papal audience took place on the eve of Pope Francis’ meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on October 11.

Speaking to Vatican News’ Salvatore Cernuzio on the sidelines of the assembly, the major archbishop of kyiv-Halyč described the meeting with the pope “as a spiritual moment of dialogue and reflection.”

Concern for the most vulnerable during the war

“I wanted to inform the Holy Father of the situation in Ukraine, of the disaster of the war that we are experiencing and of the challenges that we will face as winter approaches,” he explained. “He is genuinely concerned about the civilian population, about what is happening in Ukraine and about the most vulnerable, who are suffering the most.”

Bishop Shevchuk also explained that he informed Pope Francis of the life of the Ukrainian Church in these circumstances and, in particular, of the recent Synod of Greek-Catholic Bishops, focused on the theme of evangelization and how to proclaim the Word of God. God and bring his message of hope to desperate people.

He said he had given him a Pastoral Letter on War and Just Peace, summarizing the fruits of the Synod and reflecting on the current situation in Ukraine.

The Pope’s gratitude for the “heroic” service of the Church

“Pope Francis,” the major archbishop continued, “thanked me for the heroic service of our Church, our bishops and our priests and assured me of his prayers and blessings.”

For his part, the head of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church reiterated his gratitude to Pope Francis “for his numerous interventions and for always thinking of ‘martyred’ Ukraine.”

He also thanked him for negotiating the release of ten Ukrainian civilians, including Redemptorist priests Ivan Haleta and Bohdan Levytskyy arrested by the Russians in November 2022.

Their release was part of an exchange of Russian and Ukrainian prisoners of war negotiated by the Holy See and prompted President Zelensky, among others, to thank the Holy See for “the efforts” made “to bring back these people at home.”

Visit by President Zelensky

Commenting on Pope Francis’ audience with the Ukrainian president on Friday, Archbishop Shevchuk said President Zelensky had great respect for the Holy Father, whom he considers “a global moral voice and authority.”

“Sharing Ukraine’s suffering and having the support of the Pope and the Holy See for our country and our suffering people is vital for us,” he said.

This will be President Zelensky’s third visit to the Vatican and his fourth in-person meeting with Pope Francis, which includes the private bilateral meeting held in June on the sidelines of the G7 in Puglia.

A call for solidarity with the Ukrainian people

Before returning to the Synod discussions, Archbishop Shevchuk made a passionate appeal to the international community to support the Ukrainian people through prayer and material assistance.

“We ask for your solidarity and prayers. Nearly 6 million Ukrainians will face a food crisis this winter. We must feed the hungry,” he said, adding that “we must also offer our warmth and our attention to those who will suffer from the cold.” »