Ukrainian Greek Catholic Patriarch: Pope Benedict XVI Was Concerned about Our Church

In an interview to Katolytskyi Ohliad, Patriarch Sviatoslav Shevchuk described the relationship between the Pope Emeritus and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC). In particular, he said that Pope Benedict XVI was seriously concerned about the fate of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, supported it, and cared for its development and church life.

"The Holy Father was indeed seriously concerned about our church, and in spite of, perhaps, the hopes of some other circles, he truly supported our church," he said.

Patriarch Shevchuk noted that during the pontificate of Benedict XVI the UGCC received three new metropolitanates in western Ukraine and actively developed abroad.

"At the request of the Synod our bishop in Argentina, in Buenos Aires, became the Apostolic Visitor for Ukrainians in South America: Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela. That is, he was tasked with providing pastoral care for our faithful in South America. And the last event of the past year was the creation of two new eparchies in Western Europe: in France and in the UK," said the head of the UGCC.

"This means that our church has ceased to be provisionally present at the level of exarchates, and received permanent status in Western Europe as a normal church structure, so that it could truly serve our new emigrants. All these facts show the serious support we had from Benedict XVI in all matters of pastoral development," said the patriarch.