On February 8-9, representatives of the US Catholic Church headed by Archbishop and Metropolitan Borys Gudziak of Philadelphia paid a solidarity visit to Ukraine. He was accompanied by John Barres, Ordinary of the Diocese of Rockville Centre in New York, and Sr. Donna Markham, President of Catholic Charities USA.
This is reported by the UGCC Information Department.
Religious figures had several important meetings in the capital of Ukraine. In particular, the guests met with the head of the UGCC, Patriarch Sviatoslav, who thanked the U.S. Catholic Church for its solidarity and support of the Ukrainian people: "Thank you for your humanitarian and material assistance, as well as for your mercy and open hearts that are saving Ukrainians today."
Bishop John Barres also thanked His Beatitude Sviatoslav for his steadfastness and unity, especially during wartime: "Ukrainians are very strong now. Your daily appeals to people are powerful and very important."
On February 9, Metropolitan Borys Gudziak, Bishop John Barres and S. Donna Markham visited Bucha and Irpin, where, in particular, they visited the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos of the UGCC, damaged by a Russian mine. Having witnessed Russia's terrible war crimes against the Ukrainian people, they expressed words of support and gratitude for their courage.
"Today, Bucha is a symbol of Russian imperialism and colonialism, as well as its diabolical ability to make a person commit such unspeakable crimes," His Eminence Borys Gudziak noted.
Sister Donna Markham had the opportunity to talk about the humanitarian aid provided to Ukrainians by the Catholic charity organization of the United States. "The people of the United States are with you. The Church is with you. We are doing everything we can to understand how to help people. We are helping about 20 thousand Ukrainians in the United States now, and we will continue to do so," Sr. Donna said.
In the Church of St. Andrew the First-Called in Bucha, representatives of the Catholic Church of the United States prayed for the repose of innocent people killed during the war.