On October 25, His Beatitude Sviatoslav met with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at the Phanar in Istanbul, Turkey. The parties discussed the situation in Ukraine and agreed on the next steps in the ecumenical dialogue.
According to the Secretariat of the Head of the UGCC in Rome, His Beatitude Sviatoslav expressed gratitude to His Holiness Bartholomew for the opportunity to meet and for the active dialogue between the UGCC and the Patriarchate of Constantinople over the past ten years.
“It is the second time I have the honor to pay you an official visit and thank you on behalf of all Ukrainians for your blessing and fatherly support. Many times, you have said that you are happy with the development of our Church, and we feel that our mother Church is happy for us,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
“What kind of mother does not rejoice for her children?” replied His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew. The Head of the UGCC emphasized that Patriarch Bartholomew is an unquestioned moral authority for Ukrainians regardless of religion or denomination.
The Head of the UGCC noted the special significance of the decisions of the last Synaxis of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (September 1-3, 2024), which condemned the ideology of the “Russian world”. “Thank you for standing up for Ukraine - personally and in the fullness of the Patriarchate of Constantinople,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav. Patriarch Bartholomew thanked the Head of the UGCC for his attention to the synodal decisions of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and emphasized that “the Mother Church of Constantinople is concerned for its children suffering in Ukraine.”
During the conversation, the Head of the UGCC presented to the Ecumenical Patriarch the Message of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC in Ukraine on war and just peace in the context of new ideologies. He also explained the genesis of the murderous ideology of the “Russian world” and its danger to the Christian world at the global level. His Beatitude Sviatoslav pointed out the “genocidal nature of the ‘Russian world’ ideology, the criminality of which is experienced by millions of Ukrainians.”
The parties discussed the situation in Ukraine, in particular, the legislative steps of the Ukrainian state to protect the religious environment of Ukraine from the militarization of religion by the aggressor country.
Special attention was paid to bilateral relations between the UGCC and the Patriarchate of Constantinople. The heads of the Churches agreed to deepen cooperation and ecumenical dialogue, in particular in the context of the celebration of the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea and the planned meeting of Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew in Nicaea. The meeting in Nicaea will be one of the most important moments of the celebration of the Jubilee Year 2025 in the Catholic Church, for which a number of events are also being prepared in the UGCC.
Patriarch Bartholomew assured the Head of the UGCC that he is praying for the “victory of the Ukrainian people” and asked to convey his archpastoral blessing.
At the end of the audience, the parties exchanged gifts. His Beatitude Sviatoslav presented His Holiness Bartholomew with a piece of the drone downed over the Patriarchal Cathedral in Kyiv, a book with the message of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC on the war in Ukraine, which contains translations into 6 languages, and a book in Polish “Ukraine Stands! Ukraine Fights! Ukraine Prays!” by His Beatitude Sviatoslav, to which Patriarch Bartholomew wrote a foreword. Patriarch Bartholomew presented the Head of the UGCC with a publication on the Ecumenical Patriarchate today and an electronic edition on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the patriarchal ministry of His Holiness Bartholomew.
The audience was attended by Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, Metropolitan Arsenios of Austria and Bishop Maximos of Arista. His Beatitude Sviatoslav was accompanied by Fr. Andrii Soletsky, Head of the Secretariat of the Head of the UGCC in Rome.