Pope Leo XIV receives Head of UGCC in Vatican
According to the UGCC Department for Information, Pope Leo XIV received His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. At the beginning of the meeting, His Beatitude Sviatoslav expressed gratitude to His Holiness for his solidarity and support for Ukraine, as well as for the Holy See's diplomatic efforts aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
Special attention was given to the contemporary life of the UGCC and the global dimension of its ministry. His Beatitude emphasized that the UGCC is both a local and a global Church, present on all continents.
At the end of the meeting, His Beatitude Sviatoslav requested the Pope's blessing for the Ukrainian people. The Pope, in response, assured him of his constant prayers and support for Ukraine.
It is worth noting that this was the second personal audience of the Head of the UGCC with Pope Leo XIV since his election to the papal throne. The first meeting took place during the first week of his pontificate.
His Holiness Pope Leo XIV expressed his gratitude to the UGCC for its pastoral ministry during wartime and for the continued operation of various church structures. "The Pope was impressed that our Church has developed and is actively implementing its pastoral plan to 'heal the wounds of war' and serves as a space of solidarity and unity that connects Ukrainians in Ukraine with the global Ukrainian community," commented the Head of the UGCC.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav met with Pope Leo XIV to discuss specific initiatives of the UGCC concerning cooperation with Ukrainian civil society and the international community. During this meeting, he also delivered lists of prisoners of war that he received directly from the families of those imprisoned and missing.
The Head of the UGCC expressed his gratitude to His Holiness for the vital mission of saving human lives, a task that the Holy See has been dedicated to since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine.
At the conclusion of the audience, His Beatitude Sviatoslav once again invited the Pope to visit Ukraine. He also presented him with a sculpture titled "Wartime Dove," created by Italian sculptor and cardiologist Luciano Capriotti. This ceramic artwork depicts a fragile dove struck by a piece of metal from a Russian missile fired at Kharkiv. "This wound causes the bird great pain, but we see that it is not dead; it is alive. It is a beautiful symbol of modern, wounded yet living Ukraine," commented the Head of the UGCC regarding his symbolic gift to Pope Leo.
