The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Sviatoslav, during a meeting in the Vatican with the newly elected Pope Leo XIV, invited him to visit Ukraine.
This was announced by the press service of the UGCC.
"During one of the first private audiences of his pontificate, Pope Leo XIV received His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the head of the UGCC. The meeting took place in the library of the Apostolic Palace," the statement reads.
The head of the UGCC congratulated Pope Leo XIV on his election and thanked him for his first words and gestures toward Ukraine.
"The Ukrainian people have already described you as the Pope of Peace. Last Sunday, we heard your words that the pain of the Ukrainian people is in your heart. Your call for true, just, and lasting peace is especially relevant at this time, and your concern for prisoners and deported children shows your special paternal attention to the first victims of the war in Ukraine."
The head of the UGCC told Pope Leo XIV that his appeals for ending the war are extremely important for the Ukrainian people.
"They are a true spiritual balm for the wounded soul of the Ukrainian people, they keep us present in the memory of the international community and affirm our name, which others want to take away from us and deny our right to exist," Sviatoslav noted.
The head of the UGCC invited Pope Leo XIV to make an Apostolic visit to Ukraine:
"When Saint Pope John Paul II came to us, Ukrainians believed that communism would never return to our land. Today, we believe that the Pope’s visit will help stop the war in Ukraine."
"Obviously, the time and occasion are determined by the Lord, but I consider it my duty to pass on the invitation from millions of Ukrainians who are waiting for you," emphasized Sviatoslav.
Pope Leo XIV assured the head of the UGCC that he "stands with the Ukrainian people. The Holy See will continue to promote and create all necessary conditions for dialogue and will accompany the Ukrainian people in this terrible time of history."
The head of the UGCC handed Pope Leo XIV lists of Ukrainians held in Russian captivity. He also spoke about cooperation with Pope Francis regarding the release of prisoners of various categories and asked that this cooperation continue.
"Every time I visit our parishes in different regions of Ukraine, I meet with families of prisoners of war and missing persons. They give me the names of their loved ones with a request to personally hand them over to the Pope," the head of the UGCC emphasized.
Sviatoslav noted that the Holy See is making considerable efforts in this matter.
"When the Russian side receives these lists from the Vatican, we have evidence that the treatment of these prisoners improves."
At the end of the audience, the head of the UGCC presented the Pope with a symbolic painting depicting the pain of the Ukrainian people. Its author is the artist Bohdan Pylypyv, the father of the fallen Ukrainian soldier Andrii.
Sviatoslav explained the symbolism of the painting to the Pope:
"The painting is called Prayer-Requiem. The embryo in the coil of a clock spring is a symbol of unborn children due to the war. The clockwork mechanism marks the endless moments of loss, the rivers of blood that take away the most precious — human lives. The clock’s hand in the shape of a short Roman legionnaire’s sword is a sign of wartime, a calamity looming over Ukraine and the world."
The head of the UGCC also invited Pope Leo XIV to meet with Ukrainian pilgrims who will arrive in Rome on June 28 for the jubilee of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
Sviatoslav explained that this pilgrimage will be accompanied by UGCC bishops from all over the world and "this event will be a unique opportunity to pray for peace in Ukraine at the tomb of the supreme apostle Peter."
