Pope Francis invites hierarchs of UGCC to work on future global strategy of Ukrainian Church

Pope Francis invited the Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Sviatoslav, members of the Permanent Synod and the Metropolitan of the UGCC to hold a joint working meeting with him and the Vatican Curia, Department of Information of the UGCC reports.

The official communique of the Roman Curia states that the meeting will be held in Rome on July 5-6, 2019. In addition to the Greek-Catholic clergy, the heads of the dicasteries of the Roman Curia will participate.

“By this meeting, the Holy Father wants to show his closeness to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, performing pastoral ministry both in the Homeland and in different parts of the world.

In addition, this meeting will provide another opportunity for a deeper analysis of Ukraine's life and needs in order to identify ways in which the Catholic Church, and especially the Greek Catholic Church, can more effectively dedicate itself to proclaiming the Gospel, support those who suffer and promote peace in consent as long as it is possible, with the Catholic Church of the Latin Rite, with other Churches and Christian communities,” says the communique.

Patriarch Sviatoslav, in the comments to the UGCC Department of Information, has said this is good news for the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and for the whole of Ukraine because this method of meeting corresponds with the highest level of attention to us on the side of the Roman Apostolic See.

According to him, there were almost no precedents of such meetings.

“This kind of meeting is part of the Vatican Curia's internal practice when trying to understand how to act in case of certain events, circumstances or situations,” the Head of the UGCC said.

The Head of the UGCC explained: when the Holy Father personally, together with the leaders of certain dicasteries (ministries) of the Roman Curia, meets with the leaders of the same Church, it is a way of working out a strategy for the future.

This strategy, said His Beatitude Sviatoslav, is always built around three points. The first is the support of the Church that needs to be heard to understand how the Holy Father personally can act to support such a Church.

The second is to take care of the strengthening of this Church.

“Our Holy Father wants all our Metropolitans and members of the Permanent Synod to personally present important issues of the life of the Church in Ukraine and abroad, which, according to the hierarchs, are pressing today. Thus, our Church will take part in the elaboration of Vatican's vision and strategy for the Ukrainian state and the world Ukrainian community. And since the leaders of the executive bodies of the Roman Curia will be present, certain mechanisms of activity will be formulated at once to be able to properly attach our Church,” explained the Head of the UGCC.

And the third is to ensure the organic development of the UGCC in accordance with the challenges that the Ukrainian Church faces.

According to Patriarch Sviatoslav, this meeting is indeed a sign of the deep interest of the Holy Father in the issues of Ukraine in general and the UGCC in particular.

“This is an important sign of support for our Church, as well as the beginning of a very serious work, so that we can ensure the proper development of our Church in its structural divisions, its pastoral activities in Ukraine and abroad,” added the Head of the UGCC.