Head of the UGCC Expresses Gratitude to Poles for Support and Urges Not to Succumb to Manipulations
During a meeting with Polish journalists on March 19, 2024, in Kyiv, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, expressed gratitude to the Polish people, government, and the Catholic Church in Poland for their unprecedented support of Ukrainians and urged them not to succumb to manipulative tactics that could lead to confrontation with Ukraine.
“Your aid, which we feel every day, is a true testament to the Christian faith,” he said.
The Head of the UGCC expressed gratitude to the Roman Catholic Church in Poland for its hospitality towards Ukrainian refugees and for opening its churches to Greek Catholic priests and laity. “Our Wroclaw-Koszalin Eparchy has doubled the number of parishes during the war,” he said.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav urged Poles not to grow weary of Ukrainians who have sought asylum in Poland. He emphasized that Ukrainians are eager to integrate into Polish society and contribute to the country’s well-being.
“We are aware that hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians working in Poland pay taxes. This proves they do not intend to ‘extract money from the pockets of Poles’,” he said.
The Head of the UGCC expressed concern regarding the protests of Polish farmers blocking the Ukrainian border. He called on the Poles not to exploit this situation for confrontation with Ukraine.
“This is nothing more than political manipulation,” the Patriarch said. “When farmers protest and block the [Ukrainian] border, while grain and other products from Russia freely flow to Poland, doesn’t this attest to manipulation?”
His Beatitude Sviatoslav called for an open dialogue between the Ukrainian and Polish peoples to resolve the current problems.
“The only way to foster relations is through dialogue,” he said. “We acknowledge the existing problems and are prepared for an open dialogue to enhance our relations.”
During the meeting, His Beatitude Sviatoslav also answered questions regarding the pastoral care of the UGCC during the war, Ukrainians’ ability to forgive Russians, readiness for negotiations, ecumenical relations, and the restoration of Ukraine.
It should be noted that the visit of Polish journalists to Ukraine will last from March 19 to 22, 2024. The program of the visit is extensive and will include meetings with religious leaders of various denominations, visits to cities affected by the war, discussions with chaplains, volunteers, families of fallen soldiers, and visits to religious educational institutions.
The aim of the visit is to explore the activities of religious organizations in Ukraine in the context of the war, to visit cities impacted by Russian aggression, to talk to people affected by the war and all those providing assistance, and to report on the situation in Ukraine for the Polish media.
Among the journalists and editors who arrived in Ukraine are representatives from the Catholic Information Agency, the Polish Press Agency, Polish Radio, the weekly magazines Gość Niedzielny, W Sieci, Przewodnik Katolicki, and the daily Rzeczpospolita. Accompanying the group is Fr. Stefan Batruch, president of the Foundation for Spiritual Culture of the Borderland and rector of the Greek Catholic parish in Lublin.
The UGCC Department for Information
