In Lviv, the ninety-sixth session of the Episcopal Synod of the UGCC in Ukraine took place

This was reported by the Secretariat of the Episcopal Synod of the UGCC in Ukraine.

The main theme of this session of the Episcopal Synod of the UGCC in Ukraine was "Pastoral Care of the Family in Times of War." It was prepared for consideration by the UGCC Commission on Family and Lay Affairs under the leadership of Yuriy Pidlisny, who delivered a programmatic report on the aforementioned topic.

Reports on the main topic were also delivered by: Mariana Mykolaychuk, Associate Professor of the Department of Psychology and Psychotherapy at UCU, family and crisis psychotherapist of the NGO "Mental Health and Well-being for Ukraine," with the report "Military Family Through the Eyes of a Psychotherapist"; and Maria Trakalo, co-founder of the Mental Health Hub "DiiTy," who presented on the topic "Psychological Analysis of the State of Families in Ukraine Through the Prism of War."

The Synod Fathers carefully reviewed the information provided, discussed the proposals made by the speakers, and adopted a number of decisions to improve pastoral care for families in times of war.

In the context of drafting and adopting synodal documents, the Episcopal Synod approved, after a three-year trial period, the Instruction on the Presence of Church Structures and Clergy of the Kyiv-Halych Supreme Archbishopric of the UGCC on the Internet and recommended that the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC accept it for the entire Church. This document was presented by Bishop Teodor Martyniuk and Fr. Ihor Yatsiv, head of the UGCC Information Department.

The bishops also considered and approved the text of the Message on Theological Reflection on War and the Search for Peace in the Context of New Ideologies, the revised draft of which was presented by Bishop Yaroslav Pryriz, head of the Theological Department of the Patriarchal Curia of the UGCC, and decided to designate the day of the second anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, February 24, 2024, as a day of prayer and fasting for the victory of Ukraine and a just peace.

In the section on topics for discussion, the question of seeking models of unity with the Mukachevo Greek Catholic Diocese was considered, and it was decided to dedicate time for its discussion at the next session of the Episcopal Synod.

The bishops were informed about the pastoral situation in the UGCC in Ukraine by bishops from the Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Odesa exarchates and the Kyiv archeparchy of the UGCC.

Taras Dobko, the rector of the Ukrainian Catholic University, reported on the mission and activities of the Ukrainian Catholic University in times of war. Fr. Yuriy Shchurko, Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy and Theology at UCU, reported on the current state and activities of this faculty over the past years. After this report, His Beatitude Sviatoslav awarded Fr. Yuriy a decree appointing him as the head of the UGCC Personnel Commission.

The presentation of the achievements of the structures of the Ukrainian Catholic University was continued by Khrystyna Shabat, head of the Child Dignity Center at UCU, who spoke about its active and effective work. The bishops expressed their gratitude to all the employees of the Center for their conscientious work and recommended that their achievements and experience be disseminated throughout the entire religious environment of Ukraine.

The Synod members heard a report on the activities of the Commission on Youth Affairs of the UGCC, presented by its chairman, Fr. Rostyslav Pendyuk, and deputy chairman, Fr. Roman Demush. The bishops thanked the mentioned clergy and all members of this Commission for their active and creative work in youth pastoral care, especially considering the challenges of wartime, and blessed them for further work.

The Patriarchal Economist of the UGCC, Fr. Liubomyr Yavorskyi, reported to the Synod on the state of affairs of the UGCC in Ukraine in the financial and economic sphere and, together with representatives of the administrator company, presented a report to the bishops on the activities of the Church-founded Open Non-State Pension Fund "Pokrova," which operates successfully, dynamically develops, and demonstrates positive results, despite the challenges of wartime. Today, the "Pokrova" NPF is among the TOP-25 non-state pension funds in Ukraine, and based on the results of November and December 2023, it entered the TOP-3 NPFs in terms of profitability.

On the second day of the Synod, after the Divine Liturgy, the bishops, under the leadership of His Beatitude Sviatoslav, served a Panakhyda for the repose of the soul of the father of Bishop Stepan Sus, Yaroslav, who passed away the evening before.

It was decided to hold the Ninety-Seventh Session of the Episcopal Synod of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine in the second quarter of 2024.