UGCC Synod of Bishops and RCC Bishops in Ukraine make visit to Vatican

On February 16-21, the UGCC bishops led by His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Patriarch of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, are tovisit Rome for the purpose of pilgrimage to the tombs of the Apostles.

The visit of hierarchy of the UGCC to the Eternal City includes a separate audience with the Holy Father, and a tour of various ministries dicasteries in Vatican. In addition, the Ukrainian bishops will pray at the most important papal councils of Rome:

February 17, 16:00 - Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at the LateranCathedral (piazza San Giovanni);

18 February, 16:00 - Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of St. Paul (San Paolo fuori le mura);

19 February, 15:30 - Pontifical Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore (Termini);

February 20, 17:00 - Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at the tomb of St. Peter.

 “The bishops’ visit is primarily a pilgrimage to the tombs of the Apostles, from which the apostles’ successors draw water from the very sources of Christianity, and a manifestation of ecclesial communion with the Holy See,” said Bishop Dionisiy, Apostolic Visitor for Ukrainian Greek Catholics in Italy and Spain, responsible for the organization of the Synod’s visit, the Information Department of the UGCC reports.

Note that such pilgrimages to the Holy See that the Catholic Church calls visita ad Limina, are made by bishops every 5 years in order to meet with the Holy Father as a symbol of unity with the Successor of Peter.

Along with the UGCC bishops, the bishops of RCC in Ukraine led by archbishop Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki also came to Vatican.