On the first day of the XVI General Assembly of the Pontifical Synod on October 2, His Beatitude Sviatoslav presented to Pope Francis the delegation of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the Most Reverend Bishops Bohdan Dziurakh and Theodore Martyniuk.
This was reported by the Secretariat of the Head of the UGCC in Rome.
The hierarchs thanked the Pope for his support of Ukraine and asked him to continue the efforts of the Holy See to establish a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
The Synod on “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission” is being held in the Vatican for the second year in a row during the month of October.
His Holiness thanked the delegates of the UGCC for their active participation in the work of the Pontifical Synod and pastoral devotion in times of war. The Head of the UGCC pointed out the need for support for Ukraine and the consolidation of the Catholic Church in overcoming the humanitarian crisis and new challenges as a result of Russian aggression. The Pope assured the hierarchs of the UGCC of his support and the use of diplomatic and charitable mechanisms of the Catholic Church to help Ukraine.
As reported previously, Pope Francis proclaimed October 7 the Day of Prayer and Fasting for World Peace. The Pope's prayer initiative is addressed to all Christians with a request to dedicate this day to prayer and fasting for the end of wars in the world. On Sunday, October 6, Pope Francis will go to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome to pray the rosary before the miraculous icon of the “Salvation of the Roman People” and invites the participants of the Pontifical Synod to pray together.