The Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Prays for Ukraine at the Main Shrine of the Spanish-Speaking World and Meets With the Archbishop of Zaragoza
On May 21, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, visited the capital of the Spanish province of Aragon—the city of Zaragoza—where he met with the local Ukrainian community, prayed at the main shrine of the Spanish-speaking world—the Cathedral of Our Lady of Pilar—and later held an official meeting with Archbishop Carlos Manuel Escribano Subias of Zaragoza.
Meeting with the Ukrainian Community
Ukrainians gathered in front of the Cathedral in Zaragoza to welcome His Beatitude Sviatoslav; many of them had come to the meeting dressed in vyshyvankas. That day marked the 20th annual celebration of Vyshyvanka Day around the world. Bishop Stepan Sus, Fr. Oleh Oleksa, and Fr. Taras Kutov were also present at the meeting and joined in prayer with the Head of the UGCC.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav thanked the Ukrainians for maintaining ties with their home Church and for establishing a UGCC parish here. He learned firsthand about the community’s needs, particularly the request for the appointment of a permanent priest for Zaragoza and the entire province of Aragon. This region is industrially developing rapidly, attracting an increasing number of Ukrainians, and thus the need for a permanent priest continues to grow.
Prayer for Peace in Ukraine at the Shrine of Our Lady of Pilar
Together with the Ukrainian community, His Beatitude Sviatoslav visited the Cathedral of Our Lady of Pilar (Nuestra Señora del Pilar)—the largest shrine in the Spanish-speaking world, associated with the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary to the Apostle James. The veneration of Our Lady of Pilar has been observed for almost 1,000 years.
Before the miraculous image of the Virgin Mary, the Head of the UGCC, together with the community, prayed for peace in Ukraine. His Beatitude Sviatoslav was received as an honored guest. He left an entry in the shrine’s guestbook, where he wrote a prayerful plea for peace for Ukraine.
Meeting with the Archbishop of Zaragoza
A particularly important event during the visit was the meeting with Carlos Manuel Escribano Subias, Archbishop of Zaragoza, who heads the Commission on Laity, Family, and Youth of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference.
The hierarchs discussed the need for stable pastoral care for Ukrainians in Aragon and agreed on bilateral cooperation between the UGCC and the Archdiocese of Zaragoza.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav spoke with Archbishop Escribano Subias about pastoral care for families in the UGCC and the repercussions of the war for Ukrainian families, particularly the sharp decline in the birth rate and the growing number of traumatized families in need of special attention and support.
The Head of the UGCC also spoke about lay movements and Church initiatives aimed at preparing young people for married life, supporting young couples in the early years of marriage, as well as the rehabilitation of veterans, which begins first and foremost within their own families. The Archbishop of Zaragoza shared his own experience of family ministry in Spain.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav invited the Archbishop of Zaragoza to visit Ukraine in order to witness firsthand the realities of family ministry during wartime.
The participants agreed to continue the dialogue. In particular, the next meeting is scheduled to take place in October at the Vatican as part of a gathering of the heads of the world’s episcopal conferences convened by Pope Leo XIV on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’s apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia (“The Joy of Love”), dedicated to proclaiming the Gospel to modern families.
The UGCC Department for Information
