40 thousand UGCC faithful in Lviv attend Divine Liturgy marking 10th anniversary of pope’s visit

In Lviv, on June 26, close to 40 thousand faithful of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) attended a Divine Liturgy marking the 10th anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s visit to Ukraine, Interfax-Ukraine reports.

Patriarch Sviotaslav (Shevchuk) led the liturgy, which was celebrated near the Nativity of the Mother of God Church, where 10 years ago the pope met with the youth.

During his sermon, the head of the church said that the faithful of this denomination “feel the great spiritual boost and are experiencing a special moment as they celebrate the 10th anniversary of the pope’s visit to Ukraine.”

“He came as a simple pilgrim, to immerse himself into our daily lives, to see, to hear, to experience our pain, to take on the history of our church....In a way he pulled us out from the chaos of the modern world and with his words drew us to Christ,” said the primate.

The head of the UGCC said that the pope’s words, spoken 10 years ago, still “provide abundant fruits.”

The 10th anniversary of the pope’s visit to Lviv was celebrated on June 25-26. In June 2001 the pope came on a 5-day visit to Ukraine. He visited Kyiv and Lviv.