From May 23rd to 25th, the General Assembly of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI) is taking place in Vatican City. Bishop Maksym Ryabukha, the auxiliary bishop of the Exarchate of Donetsk, addressed the participants and read a letter from the Head of the UGCC.
This was reported by the Secretariat of the Head of the UGCC in Rome.
In the letter, His Beatitude Sviatoslav emphasized that the war in Ukraine is a true genocide of the Ukrainian people, accompanied by horrifying war crimes and based on the ideology of the "Russian world."
"At the same time," the letter states, "we have felt incredible support and solidarity from the international community. During this dramatic period of our present, Italy not only condemned Russian aggression but also opened its doors to Ukrainian refugees from the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Thanks to the assistance of various structures of the Catholic Church in Italy, we have the opportunity to help many people in Ukraine who have suffered the most from bombings and occupation."
His Beatitude Sviatoslav thanked the leaders of the CEI for their many years of cooperation with the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC and support for various pastoral projects of the UGCC. He invited the CEI delegation to visit Ukraine to witness firsthand the suffering brought about by Russian aggression.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav also asked the Italian episcopate to join the online prayer on the rosary, which the UGCC conducts daily at 8:00 p.m. Kyiv time through "Live TV."
"We believe that this specific prayer initiative of our Church, uniting many people around the world, will help stop Russian aggression," emphasized the Head of the UGCC.