The Vatican Has Yet to Give a Final Answer About the Pope’s Visit to Ukraine in 2012

At the session of the 35th conference of the Roman Catholic Bishops of Ukraine, Archbishop Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki reported that an invitation was sent to Pope Benedict XVI to visit Ukraine in 2010.

LVIV – At the session of the 35th conference of the Roman Catholic Bishops of Ukraine, Archbishop Mieczys?aw Mokrzycki reported that an invitation was sent to Pope Benedict XVI to visit Ukraine on the occasion of the completion of the all-Ukrainian Eucharistic Congress in 2012 and the 600th anniversary since the Roman Catholic Episcopal seat was moved from Halych to Lviv. RISU's Ukrainian-language website posted this story on May 26, 2010.

The acceptance by the Apostolic See of the invitation does not ensure that the visit of the pope to Ukraine will be made.  RISU was informed by the Apostolic Nunciature in Ukraine that the invitation to Pope Benedict XVI to visit Ukraine in 2012 will be considered by the Apostolic See in due time and the final decision will be announced after that.

Archbishop Mieczys?aw told RISU that the acceptance by the Apostolic See of an invitation to visit a country does not mean that the visit will definitely be made. As a rule, information about a visit of the pope is published by the Apostolic See a year before the visit.

Roman Catholic Church representatives hope that the response of the Vatican will be positive.