A Meeting Between His Beatitude Sviatoslav and Pope Leo XIV Takes Place in the Vatican
On February 12, His Beatitude Sviatoslav met with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV. The Head of the UGCC discussed the situation in Ukraine with the Pope and handed him lists of prisoners.
Pope Leo XIV received the Head of the UGCC at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. The meeting began with His Beatitude Sviatoslav thanking the Holy Father for his solidarity with and support for Ukraine, as well as for the diplomatic efforts of the Holy See toward achieving a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. Special attention was given to the contemporary life of the UGCC and the global dimension of its ministry.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav emphasized that the UGCC is a local Church that is at the same time global, present on every continent. “Our local Church of Kyiv Christianity is Ukrainian in origin, yet it is not a Church only for Ukrainians. Rather, through its full and visible communion with the Successor of the Apostle Peter, it is open to proclaiming the Gospel to all peoples.”
His Holiness Pope Leo XIV expressed his gratitude to the UGCC for its pastoral ministry during wartime and for the full functioning of its various Church structures. “The Pope was amazed that our Church has developed and is actively implementing its pastoral plan, ‘Healing the Wounds of War,’ and serves as a space of solidarity and unity, bringing together Ukrainians in Ukraine and throughout the global Ukrainian community,” the Head of the UGCC commented.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav also discussed specific UGCC initiatives aimed at cooperation with Ukrainian civil society and the international community. In addition, he handed over lists of prisoners of war and missing persons, which he had received directly from the families of those captured or missing. The Head of the UGCC thanked His Holiness for his decisive mission of saving human lives, to which the Holy See has consistently contributed since the beginning of the full-scale war in Ukraine.
At the conclusion of the audience, His Beatitude Sviatoslav renewed his invitation for the Pope to visit Ukraine and presented him with a sculpture by the Italian sculptor and cardiologist Luciano Capriotti entitled Dove of Peace in Time of War. The ceramic artwork depicts a delicate and fragile dove pierced by a fragment of metal from a Russian missile fired at Kharkiv. “This wound causes great pain to the bird, but we see that it is not dead — it is alive. It is a powerful symbol of modern Ukraine: wounded, yet alive,” the Head of the UGCC commented on his symbolic gift to Pope Leo.
At the end of the meeting, His Beatitude Sviatoslav asked the Pope for his blessing upon the Ukrainian people. The Pope assured him of his constant prayers and support for Ukraine.
This was the second personal audience of the Head of the UGCC with Pope Leo XIV since his election to the papacy. The first meeting took place during the first week of his pontificate.
The UGCC Department for Information
