Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Begins Official Visit to Norway
On October 17, 2025, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, began an official visit to the Kingdom of Norway. He is accompanied by his personal secretary, Fr. Oleh Oleksa.
At Oslo-Gardermoen International Airport, the Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church was welcomed by Father Myron Kuspys, priest for Ukrainian Greek Catholics in the Norwegian capital, along with parishioners and members of the Ukrainian community.
On the first day of his visit, His Beatitude Sviatoslav will meet with Roman Catholic Bishop Fredrik Hansen of Oslo.
On Saturday, October 18, the Head of the UGCC will visit the Embassy of Ukraine in Norway and meet with representatives of the Ukrainian community. On Sunday, October 19, at St. Hallvard’s Church in Oslo, where the UGCC parish gathers for worship (St. Hallvard Kirke, Enerhauggata 4, 0651 Oslo, Norway), His Beatitude Sviatoslav, together with Bishop Bohdan Dzyurakh, Apostolic Exarch in Germany and Scandinavia, will preside over a festive Divine Liturgy for Ukrainians living in Norway.
On Monday, October 19, the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations will begin its official visit to Norway, which will continue until October 22. As part of this visit, an ecumenical prayer for peace will take place at the Lutheran Cathedral in Oslo, during which the Head of the UGCC will deliver a homily.
The program of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations’ visit to Norway includes a series of important interchurch and state meetings. Religious leaders of Ukraine will have an audience with King Harald V of Norway, meet with Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide and other representatives of the country’s legislative and executive branches, and hold meetings with the leaders of Norwegian churches, including Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit, presiding bishop of the Church of Norway. While in Oslo, members of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches will also visit the Nobel Peace Center.
The UGCC Department for Information
