UGCC Priests Ivan Levytsky and Bohdan Geleta Released from Russian Captivity
On June 28, 2024, two priests of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, hieromonks of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, Fr. Ivan Levytsky and Fr. Bohdan Geleta, were released from Russian detention. They were arrested in occupied Berdiansk on November 16, 2022. For a long period, no information was available about them.
Priests Ivan Levytsky and Bohdan Geleta in Russian detention
“We are receiving extremely alarming signals that they are being tortured regularly. We have been seeking their release for more than a year and a half, appealing to various international institutions. We know that they are alive, praise God. We are also cooperating with our authorities, looking for opportunities to release them,” His Beatitude Sviatoslav said in a recent interview with Ukrinform.
On behalf of His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Most Rev. Andriy Khimyak, Auxiliary Bishop of the Kyiv Archeparchy, and Rev. Oleksa Petriv, Head of the UGCC Department of External Relations in Ukraine, welcomed the confessors of faith on their release from prison. They conveyed to Fathers Ivan and Bohdan the words of great joy from the Head of the Church and all the faithful who constantly prayed for this day to come.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav expressed his deep gratitude to the Apostolic See for the rescue of the UGCC priests. He conveyed special thanks to Pope Francis, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and the entire Vatican diplomatic corps. Special gratitude for mediation was expressed to Cardinal Matteo Zuppi and Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine. Each of them contributed invaluably to making this event a reality.
Since the full-scale invasion in February 2022, priests Ivan Levytskyi and Bohdan Geleta decided to stay with their people in the temporarily occupied territories. They served both the Greek Catholic and Roman Catholic communities, being a beacon of hope for people under occupation. They were arrested, followed by some military items being planted in the church and accused of illegal possession of weapons. There were reports that they were being tortured mercilessly to extract a confession to a crime they did not commit.
For some time, no information was available about the prisoners. Only in May did His Beatitude Sviatoslav receive the news that Fathers Ivan and Bohdan were alive and there was hope for their release. On June 28, it was the day.
The UGCC Department for Information
