Pope Francis should continue to persuade and work more on overcoming the Vatican's ambivalent position regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Metropolitan Borys Gudziak, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church's archdiocese in Philadelphia, USA, stated this in an interview with Radio Liberty.
"Pope Francis really wanted to convey to the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC that he is with Ukraine. The Pope openly, as the leader of over a billion Catholics in the world, spoke about Ukraine 226 times. He has conveyed to us 226 of his public statements, which means that as the leader of over a billion Catholics in the world, he spoke about Ukraine 226 times, about its suffering. I don't know of any leader of any country who has spoken about this so frequently," Metropolitan Borys explained.
Metropolitan Borys pointed out that the entire Catholic world is on Ukraine's side. Catholics have been very open in their support for Ukrainian refugees in Poland, Slovakia, and also in the USA, where the president is a Catholic, 30% of the House of Representatives are Catholics, 25% of Catholics are in the Senate, and Catholics make up 22% of the population in the USA.
"Thanks to God, one billion Catholics support us, especially in neighboring countries that genuinely help Ukraine in defense, the economy, and humanitarian matters," the hierarch emphasized.
"It is very important that the Pope speaks about Ukraine even in places where our representation is weak, such as Africa and South America," Metropolitan Borys believes.
When asked how to make Pope Francis a true ambassador for Ukraine in the world, Bishop Boris replied:
"Read his texts. Some of his speeches are problematic, and the Pope himself has acknowledged this. But where there is no Ukrainian voice, where there is no ambassador, where Ukrainians have not worked, the voice of the Pope of Rome is heard: Ukraine is persecuted, it needs help, pray for it, and justice must be restored in accordance with international law."
According to Metropolitan Borys, a visit by the Pope to Ukraine would have a positive effect, although such a visit is not planned in the near future.
Regarding the role of the UGCC, which openly speaks with the Pope about Ukraine and Russian aggression, Metropolitan Borys has no doubt that its role in helping the revival of the Ukrainian people will continue: "Because it is a Church that was with Ukraine and Ukrainians in the most difficult times. It did not cooperate with the Communists. And today, the UGCC has the courage to speak the truth to the strong in this world."