Bishops of the Permanent Synod expressed gratitude to the Mayor of Wroclaw for supporting Ukrainians
On May 24, 2023, the bishops of the Permanent Synod of the UGCC, led by His Beatitude Sviatoslav, met with the Mayor of Wroclaw, Jacek Sutryk. During the meeting, the Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church presented the activities of the Permanent Synod and the military challenges facing Ukrainian society today. Furthermore, they expressed gratitude for the hospitality of the Polish people to Ukrainian refugees.
“Our Permanent Synod is here for the fourth time. About three thousand Ukrainians have arrived in this hospitable and open city now. It means that almost every resident is bonded to Ukrainians, Ukraine, and assistance to it. We want to express our gratitude to you for the hospitality of this city’s residents and all your employees. After all, everyone who has lived through or is going through a war is wounded for the rest of their lives. How to heal these war wounds?” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
He then shared his experience speaking to Ukrainian refugees in Wroclaw and said they do very well here.
Afterward, His Beatitude Sviatoslav thanked the citizens, represented by the mayor, for the fraternity between Wroclaw, the capital of Lower Silesia, Lviv, and Kyiv. The latter was documented not so long ago, on March 15, 2023, during an online meeting. Instead, the partnership between Wroclaw and Lviv dates back to 2001. However, it was during the period of the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine that it fully showcased itself.
The Father and Head of the UGCC could not overlook the significance of the cooperation between Wroclaw and the Ukrainian Catholic University, carried out through the UCU Foundation. It was established in September 2022 to serve Ukrainians in Poland, and it is successfully doing so today, thanks to the support of local authorities and citizens. Therefore, the bishops of the Permanent Synod thanked the mayor of the city for this point of unity.
In turn, the mayor of Wroclaw, Jacek Smutryk, noted that for many Ukrainians, Wroclaw had become a second home. Before the full-scale war, about 100,000 Ukrainians lived here, and now there are more than 200,000. Many come from Kyiv and the Kyiv region.
The press service of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC
