Vatican releases communiqué following meeting of Pope Francis with UGCC leaders

On July 5-6, 2019, His Holiness Pope Francis met with the Patriarch of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Metropolitans, members of the Permanent Synod and heads of competent dicastries of the Roman Curia. As the communiqué notes, which was published by the Vatican press service, inviting the hierarchs of the UGCC to Rome, the Pope sought to express his closeness to the Greek Catholics.

The text of the document was published by the Information Department of the UGCC.

"With this initiative, the Holy Father sought to express his closeness to this Eastern Catholic Church of its right (sui iuris). Together with his co-workers, Pope Francis highly praised the history of this Church, its spiritual, liturgical, theological and canonical tradition, its loyalty to the Holy Father, affirmed and sealed with the blood of martyrs.

The analysis of the proposed topics evolved in the spirit of mutual hearing and was accompanied by prayer, looking for the necessary conditions to ensure the development and flourishing of this Church in the modern world.

Special attention was paid to pastoral work, evangelization service, ecumenism, special vocation of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in the context of modern socio-political challenges, especially in the context of war and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, as well as its service in different countries of the world.

It was suggested that the methodology of such exchange should continue in the future in order to create the necessary conditions for the harmonious development of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, as well as other Eastern Catholic Churches in their identity and mission," the authors of the document note.