The 97th session of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC was held in Zarvanytsia

This was reported by the Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC in Ukraine.

All Greek Catholic bishops operating in Ukraine and Reverend Father Theodor Matsapula, the bishop-nominate of the UGCC Eparchy of Mukachevo, participated in the Synodal sessions.

On the second day of the Synod of Bishops, on the World Vyshyvanka Day (the third Thursday in May), the members of the Synod of Bishops and the synodal staff, for the second year in a row, joined the All-Ukrainian campaign and took a memorable photo in vyshyvankas.

The main theme of this session of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC in Ukraine was "Catholic education in times of war."

This theme was prepared for discussion by the Commission on Education and Upbringing of the UGCC under the leadership of Father Petro Maiba.

In the context of the main theme, the bishops listened to a report by Ms. Hanna Zvarych, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Education and Science of the Ternopil Regional Military Administration, and Chair of the Commission on Family and Laity Affairs of the the UGCC Archeparchy of Ternopil-Zboriv.

After hearing the reports and discussing the issues, the Synod of Bishops adopted the "Regulation on the Chaplain of an Educational Institution" and the "Manual for Educational Chaplains of the UGCC," as well as approved the "Pastoral Plan of the Educational Chaplain" for a three-year trial period.

By its decision, the Synod also established the last Saturday of September as a day of forgiveness for educators. The Fathers of the Synod expressed their gratitude to the Commission on Education and Upbringing of the UGCC and to all who work diligently in the field of education during these difficult times of war, and addressed all providers of educational services with a Pastoral Letter "Word to Educators."

A significant portion of the synodal time was devoted to discussing the issue of the current state of work on seeking models of unity and cooperation with the Mukachevo Greek Catholic Eparchy, in consideration of which Bishop Neil Lushchak, Bishop-nominate Theodor Matsapula, and members of the Pastoral Council of the Mukachevo Greek Catholic Eparchy actively participated.

In the section on discussion topics, the issue of the pastoral situation in the UGCC in Ukraine was considered and reported by bishops of the Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Odesa Exarchates and the Kyiv Archeparchy of the UGCC.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav informed the bishops about the establishment of the "Holy Year 2025" in the Universal Church, and it was decided that the UGCC would participate in this celebration.

Father Yuriy Kozlovsky, a master of the Collegium of the Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU), reported on the mission and activities of the Ukrainian Catholic University in modern conditions of war and on the results of the implementation of the formation program of the UCU.

Father Yuriy Shchurko, Chairman of the Commission on Personnel Provision of the UGCC in Ukraine, reported on the activities of the Commission.

Father Liubomyr Yavorskyi, Patriarchal Economist of the UGCC, reported to the Synod on the state of affairs of the UGCC in Ukraine in the financial-economic sphere and presented a report on the activities of the Patriarchal Foundation "Wise Deed."

It was decided to hold the next 98th session of the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine in the fourth quarter of the year of Our Lord 2024.