The First Visit of the Zhyve TV Team to Brazil Completed
From September 17 to October 4, 2025, the Zhyve TV team visited Brazil, where they met with Ukrainian communities and clergy across various regions of the country. The trip gave them a deeper understanding of the life of the Ukrainian diaspora, its religious traditions, and cultural heritage. It also provided an opportunity to share the truth about the war in Ukraine.
The initiator, conceptual inspirer, and direct participant in this trip was Bishop Dionysio Lachovicz, bishop emeritus of the Apostolic Exarchate in Italy. He proposed the idea of such a visit and personally oversaw its implementation.
During the trip, the journalists visited Curitiba, Papanduva, Iracema, Canoinhas, Antonio Olinto, Mallet, União da Vitória, Pato Branco, Foz do Iguaçu, Prudentópolis, Ivai, Ponta Grossa, and Piçarra. They visited parishes, monasteries, historic churches, and cemeteries; met with numerous communities and religious congregations; and participated in Divine Liturgies and jubilee celebrations.
Throughout the visit, the team took over 2,500 photos and recorded more than 50 hours of video. Some of these materials have already been published, while the rest will be processed in Kyiv.
The bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Brazil — Archbishop Volodymyr Kovbych, Archbishop and Metropolitan of Curitiba, and Bishop Myron Mazur, Bishop of Prudentópolis — emphasized the importance of the visit. “We are a global Church. And it was very important for us to feel this when, with the blessing of His Beatitude Sviatoslav, our Zhyve Television came to us. The entire program was arranged so that in a short time we could see how our Church lives and serves in Brazil,” said Bishop Myron.
Father Ihor Yatsiv, Director of Zhyve Television, shared his reflections: “It is necessary to be present in order to see, and it is necessary to be present in order to bear witness. This was an important and meaningful journey for us, and even more so for our Ukrainians in Brazil. It allowed us to experience the unity of the global Church.”
The Zhyve TV team’s trip testified to the vitality of Ukrainian traditions in Latin America and will foster new cultural and spiritual ties between Ukraine and Ukrainians overseas.
The UGCC Department for Information
