From 19 to 22 June 2015, Patriarch Sviatoslav is making a pastoral visit to the Ukrainian Diocese of St. Josaphat in Parma. During the visit, the patriarch led jubilee celebrations to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Holy Spirit parish in the city of Akron (Ohio).
According to the Information Department of the UGCC, the UGCC Head led the Liturgy in concelebration of Bishop Bohdan (Danylo), Eparch of Parma, Bishop Robert (Moskal), Bishop Emeritus John (Kudryk) of the same eparchy, bishop of the local RuthenianeparchyIvan (Botin),a bishop of the Romanian Greek Catholic diocese in the United States. Numerous priests, monks and nuns and laity of the Church as the US and Canada were praying along with them.
In a pastoral word dedicated to the anniversary, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, in particular, said: “Christians make that world in which they live, more humane,it also makes more humane the modern globalized culture that has a tendency to become more the environment of machines and computers. Unfortunately, in the culture of virtual communication human pain becomes a show. Modern war along with human grief, tears and blood becomes formodern presidents the likeness of computer games, and human life is worth as much as this person consumes and produces. How can a person survive in a world in which he becomes an outside and the environment is designedfor robots, not people?”…
It is faith in God, according to the preacher, which helps “modern man evaluate and maintain authenticity of human relationships. These relationships allow man being himself, enable him to sympathize and be solidary with those suffering, sincere and compassionate to the needy.
After the liturgy, Patriarch Sviatoslav had the opportunity to communicate with the community, telling the faithful about the circumstances of the war in Ukraine.