‘I asked the Pope to become a voice of Ukrainian peopleat the meeting with Putin,’Head of the UGCC wrote a letter to Pope

UGCC Patriarch Sviatoslav (Shevchuk) wrote a letter to Pope Francis on the eve of his meeting with President Vladimir Putin. Head of the UGCC said that the Ukrainian Church willclosely follow this meeting with great interest and pray for the Pope.

It was reported by Polish media outlet w Polityce.pl.

"I claim that now no one, no diplomacy, no system of international security and none of the great men of this world is capable to stop the war in Ukraine. In the letter I asked the Holy Father to become the voice of Ukrainian people,his children, faithful Catholics Ukraine that are suffering,so that the Pope, as our father,defended his children,” the Patriarchsaid.

The Patriarch sees great similarities between Pope Francis meeting with Putin and St. John Paul II who visited former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev in 1989, after which the UGCC came out of hiding and renewed its normal activities.

Much may depend on this meeting, he said.

“We believe that the Holy Father as the Vicar of Jesus Christ on Earth can do that none of the great men of this world could do up to this point. We believe that the Pope intercede for us,” said the Patriarch.

The First Hierarch is sure that Francis Pope and Vatican diplomacy is well familiar with what is happening in Ukraine. He recalls that recently the Ukrainian bishops made the Ad Limina visit and could personally tell the pontiff about the “pain, blood and tears that overflow the Ukrainian land.”

"Pope Francis said then: “I am always at your service.” I think that this meeting will show the Pope’s stance concerning Ukraine and can work towardsthe reign of peace on our land,” the Patriarch said.