During the presidency of Viktor Yanukovych, every meeting of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches with him turned into a kind of confrontation.
The patriarch of the UGCC said this in a live program, "Evening with Mykola Knyazhitsky" on Espresso.TV.
"During my ministry, there were many moments when it was necessary to take difficult and bold steps. I remember the years of Viktor Yanukovych's presidency. This was probably the most difficult period for the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Every meeting of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches with him turned into a kind of confrontation. It was rather difficult. Since we were well aware that every bold fact of disagreement can cause pressure or certain steps in relation to the UGCC, therefore, it was necessary to be honest on the one hand and tell the truth, and on the other, to be responsible. After all, other people could suffer for such courage."- said His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
The head of the UGCC also recalled the "Havana declaration", which was signed by Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill in Cuba. This event, according to His Beatitude Sviatoslav, was intended to undermine the moral authority of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church among the faithful.
"One of the most difficult moments for the UGCC, whose goal was to undermine the moral authority of our Church in the eyes of the public, was the signing of the Havana declaration. At that time, I was ready to express my disagreement and even criticize this document. After all, there were points in it that did not objectively cover the situation in Ukraine. I understood that I needed to become the voice of my people, the nation that was "bleeding". Obviously, our voice was heard then," His Beatitude Sviatoslav added.