Pope Leo XIV Blesses Participants in the UGCC Youth Ministry Forum in Europe
On September 9, at the Vatican, following the General Audience, participants in the Forum on Youth Ministry of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Europe met with Pope Leo XIV. Representatives of Ukrainian youth communities asked the Holy Father to pray for peace in Ukraine and presented him with a vyshyvanka featuring an image of all the regions of Ukraine, as well as a book entitled The Eyes of War.
Vatican News and DyvenSvit reported on the meeting.
After a joint prayer, the Pope blessed those present. The forum participants also had the opportunity to take a group photo with the Holy Father.
The gifts were presented to the Pope by Bishop Bryan Bayda, chairman of the UGCC Patriarchal Commission on Youth Affairs, and his deputy, Fr. Roman Demush. The vyshyvanka featuring images of all the regions of Ukraine has become a symbol of the unity of the country and its people. The book Eyes of War by Ukrainian photographers Kostyantyn and Vlada Liberovy, presented with the authors’ autographs, contains 280 photographs taken between 2022 and 2025 and bears witness to the reality of the war in Ukraine.
According to Fr. Roman Demush, the forum participants had been preparing for the meeting for quite some time. It was important for them to tell the Holy Father about Ukrainian young people who, because of the war, have been scattered across various European countries, and to ask for his prayers for peace.
The priest noted that the meeting was a sign of the closeness and solidarity of the Universal Church with young Ukrainians who have been forced to leave their homes.
“Ukraine, its youth, and its suffering are seen and heard,” Fr. Roman emphasized.
Reflecting on the meeting in light of the theme of human dignity raised by the Pope during the General Audience, the priest said that Ukrainian youth, who bear the burden of war, are defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state, as well as human life and the dignity of every person.
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A Roadmap for the Pastoral Care of Youth in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Europe Is Being Developed in Rome
The Forum on Youth Ministry of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Europe will take place from September 8 to 10 at the Pontifical Ukrainian College of St. Josaphat in Rome. It has brought together more than fifty representatives involved in youth ministry from various European countries to share experiences and seek answers to the challenges of supporting Ukrainian youth abroad.
The UGCC Department for InformationPhoto: Vatican Media
