Three UGCC Commissions Elevated to Churchwide Status
The three structures of the Patriarchal Curia—the UGCC Commission on Family and Laity, the UGCC Commission on Youth, and the Council on Evangelization under the Head of the UGCC—have been granted the rights and responsibilities of churchwide status. His Beatitude Sviatoslav explained the reasons for these structural changes in the program “Open Church” on Zhyve Television.
Bishop Josaphat Moshchych, Head of the UGCC Patriarchal Commission on Evangelization, and His Beatitude Sviatoslav
With the consent of the Synod of Bishops, which was held this year in Zarvanytsia, the Head of the UGCC has extended the churchwide status to these three patriarchal structures. This means that the competencies of the Commission on Family and Laity, the Commission on Youth, and the Council on Evangelization are no longer confined within the borders of Ukraine. According to His Beatitude Sviatoslav, this decision responds to the current challenges facing the Church: “Today we see that these boundaries are beginning to diminish. Many people have already found themselves outside of Ukraine, particularly during the war.”
At the same time, the Patriarch named new heads of these commissions. The Patriarchal Commission on Family and Laity of the UGCC is now headed by Most Rev. Arkadiusz Trochanowski. The Patriarchal Commission on Youth is headed by Most Rev. Bryan Bayda, and the Patriarchal Commission on Evangelization is headed by Most Rev. Josaphat Moshchych.
Explaining the need to elevate the Commission on Family and Laity to the churchwide level, His Beatitude Sviatoslav noted that the Ukrainian family is the center where faith is imparted and national and cultural identity is preserved, particularly against the background of emigration.
“Therefore, when we plan how to serve the Ukrainian family, it is quite an anachronism to look only at Ukraine,” he emphasized. “We witness how our Church today is reaching beyond the borders of Ukraine and accompanying its people. Apparently, we are compelled to reform the competencies of our executive structures of the Patriarchal Curia accordingly,” His Beatitude Sviatoslav concluded.
The main theme of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC in 2024 was evangelization—”Being Evangelizers of Hope: Evangelization in the Context of War.” It was prepared by Bishop Josaphat Moshchych. The theme of the Synod of Bishops in 2025 is family—”Pastoral care of the family in times of war.”
The UGCC Department for Information
