The Head of the UGCC called on the clergy and faithful to pray for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

His Beatitude Sviatoslav, in particular, recalled the meeting with the Emeritus Pope at the monastery "Mother Church" ("Mater Ecclesiae"), which took place on November 9 during his visit to Rome. Then, according to the head of the UGCC, Pope Emeritus turned out to be "incredibly aware and concerned about the situation in Ukraine and assured that he was praying for the Ukrainian people."

"The entire Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church,"His Beatitude Sviatoslav added," seeks to unite in prayer around this great witness of our time, thanking him for his tacit testimony as Pope Emeritus and at the same time trying to continue his work for the unity of the Church, which was an extraordinary sign of his pontificate."

As you know, on Wednesday, December 28, at the end of the general audience, Pope Francis turned to everyone with a separate request for a special prayer for their 95-year-old predecessor. The director of the Vatican press center, Matteo Bruni, commenting on this call, noted that "in recent hours, the state of health of the Pope Emeritus has worsened due to his advanced age. Currently, he is under the control and constant supervision of doctors."