On July 6, a historic event occurred at the Pro-Cathedral of Saint Sophia in Rome. His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, along with the bishops of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC, solemnly brought the relics of St. Volodymyr, Equal to the Apostles, into the church.
This was reported by the UGCC Department for Information.
“Today, in the context of the actions taken by the Synod of Bishops of our Church in Rome, we solemnly brought the relics of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Prince Volodymyr to this holy temple. Volodymyr, who was once stolen from Ukraine by the Moscow occupiers, returns today to his Church,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav during his sermon.
He emphasized that the presence of the holy prince in the pro-cathedral is deeply symbolic. This temple serves as the spiritual heart of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) in Rome and was built by Patriarch Josyf Slipyj as a sign of the unbreakable connection with St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv.
The Primate recalled that in his will, Patriarch Josyf envisioned the unity of all Churches of Kyivan tradition. “He wished to be buried in St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv. Our Patriarch rests in St. George's Cathedral in Lviv, but the day will come when he will be solemnly laid to rest in our mother cathedral of golden-domed Kyiv.”
This event holds even greater significance this year, as the UGCC celebrates the 30th anniversary of the restoration of the structures of the Kyiv Metropolia and the 20th anniversary of the return of the UGCC Head’s seat to Kyiv. In this context, His Beatitude Sviatoslav emphasized that the very presence of the holy prince is a confirmation of the fidelity and living continuity of Kyiv Christianity. “Today, Prince Volodymyr himself proclaims that the Church born in the waters of the Dnipro, at the baptism he offered to our people, is here. We are the heirs of this Kyivan Christianity.”
The head of the UGCC also stressed the importance of communion with the Apostolic See, stating that the Kyiv Church lives in full and visible communion with the successor of the Apostle Peter. “This communion has preserved our Church for centuries and today allows it to flourish in Ukraine and throughout the world, consistently providing help to its people as a Mother. Saint Prince Volodymyr, by his presence among us, assures us that all the confessors, martyrs, and great saints of Kyiv Christianity are with us today.”
The relics of St. Volodymyr the Great were received by the Primate of the UGCC on January 23, 2025, from Bishop Oleksandr Drabynko, Metropolitan of Pereyaslav and Vyshneve of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, accompanied by Ihor Lysov, the Chairman of the Parish Council of the Transfiguration Cathedral. Upon receiving this relic, His Beatitude Sviatoslav noted, “The relics of St. Volodymyr are a great shrine for us, as we are all children of the Church of Volodymyr's baptism.”