Head of UGCC: Leo XIV will be the Pope of peace for the long-suffering, war-torn Ukraine
“We really feel that Pope Leo XIV will be the Pope of peace for the long-suffering, war-torn Ukraine,” said the Head of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, commenting on the election of the new Pontiff.
While in Rome for the meeting of the Permanent Synod of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the Head of the UGCC, shared his thoughts in an interview with the Ukrainian edition of Vatican Radio — Vatican News regarding the election of the 267th Ecumenical Archbishop, Leo XIV. The new bishop is the 69-year-old American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost.
“We all celebrate, sharing in the national joy that prevails here in Rome. The words ‘Habemus Papam’ hold extraordinary significance. Today, the attention of the entire world is focused on St. Peter’s Square, where we have witnessed the person chosen by the Lord. The cardinals at the conclave have merely recognized whom God has called to be the Successor of the Apostle Peter in our time. This is the reason for our collective rejoicing,” stated Patriarch Sviatoslav.
When asked about his expectations for the newly elected Pontiff Leo XIV concerning the Church in Ukraine and, more broadly, about the Ukrainian people who have been enduring a full-scale war for over three years, the Head of the UGCC responded:
“The first words spoken to the world by the newly elected Pope were, ‘Peace be with you!’ He emphasized the importance of peace, which he described as the gift from the breath of the risen Savior. This represents the essence of the blessing from the Risen Christ and encompasses everything we refer to as the apostolic tradition — this transmission of the breath of the Risen One and the peace that many people lack. Ukraine is weary from the ongoing war and is in desperate need of this peace. We really feel that Pope Leo XIV will be the Pope of peace for the long-suffering, war-torn Ukraine. But he interestingly expressed himself about this peace: this peace is without weapons and disarming. That is, it is peace, in particular, for victims of war. The one that, let’s say, opposes evil. And he said that we must give ourselves into the hands of God, and evil will never overcome us. Therefore, we really hope that the new Pope will be the herald of peace, the builder of peace, the one who will build bridges between nations.
It is interesting that the Pope took the name of Leo XIV. We remember Leo XIII as the Pope of the social teaching of the Church, the one who proclaimed the encyclical Rerum Novarum, Leo XIII, who was the Pope of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky, the one who really cared that this word about peace, about blessing, was transformed into certain actions, a certain testimony that the Church should carry out in the circumstances of one or another nation, one or another culture. That is why, indeed, we feel that this is a pope who will be with Ukraine, who will be with our long-suffering people, who will not only inspire us with Christ’s peace, but will help transform this breath of Christ into a renewed doctrine of the Catholic Church on just peace, lasting peace in the modern world.
I am convinced that Pope Leo XIV will be a source of hope for Ukraine. He is the Pope whom the Lord has given to the Church and humanity in the Year of Hope. We need to truly feel, see, and perhaps even experience that hope. This is the Lion who comes to us — a powerful witness of Christ, a strong advocate for justice, and a testament to God’s power and grace that bring peace. Therefore, I firmly believe that Pope Leo XIV will be the Pope of hope for Ukraine, working towards peace and an end to the unjust and brutal war Russia has launched against Ukraine.
risu.ua
