UGCC's influence in society is much greater than the number of people who recognize themselves as Greek Catholics - Metropolitan Borys Gudziak

This opinion was expressed by Archbishop and the Metropolitan of Philadelphia Borys Gudziak in an article for the "Patriarchate" magazine.

"I am aware that what I say as an archbishop does not always reach our faithful in everything. But sometimes, this word gets into other, even unexpected, contexts. I remember an incident when I once left the Apostolic Nunciature in Kyiv in a collar, got into a taxi, and the driver asked me what church I was from. I said I was from the Greek Catholic Church. He clarified: "Is this the Church of Guzar?" I said, "Yes." And he said, "Oh, I love listening to this person. He's very smart." I asked: "Do you go to church?"- "Oh, no, no! No way. But I listen to him as he gives an interview," the hierarch recalled the conversation.

According to Metropolitan Borys, now we can observe an interesting phenomenon when the influence of the UGCC in society is much greater than the number of people who recognize their belonging to it.

"Therefore, I try to be present in different parts of America in different contexts, and not just in the "bubble" of our church. I've been to California, Texas, and Chicago twice in the last two months, and I've often been to Washington and New York. I also visited Italy, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Romania, and Poland. These were meetings of various sizes in different environments: monasteries, refugee shelters, within the framework of the Bishops' Conference, the Synod, or through the media. Each meeting is an opportunity to offer important things — the truth about Ukraine, information about what is happening," he said.

Today, according to him, a fairly wide audience is ready to listen to Ukraine.

"Therefore, it is possible, moreover, even necessary, to sow widely," the hierarch said.

"Undoubtedly, there is a lot of work in the church itself, specifically in our Arceparchy. But working outside is also extremely important. Isn't that the mission goal? We need to work intensively with those who lead others. It is important to help 60 million American Catholics formulate an understanding of what is happening in Ukraine in the light of the Gospel, acting through prominent archbishops and bishops. Help leaders understand why Ukraine is the epicenter of global change today," the Metropolitan of Philadelphia stressed.