“When there is no Ukrainian voice, Pope Francis speaks about Ukraine”: Bishop Borys Gudziak
I have no doubt that the UGCC’s role in helping the Ukrainian people’s rebirth will last. This is the Church which was with Ukraine and Ukrainians in the most difficult times. It did not collude with the communists. And today, our Church has the courage to speak the truth to the eyes of the powerful.
This was stated by Archbishop and Metropolitan of Philadelphia Borys Gudziak in an interview with Radio Svoboda.
Following the work of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC in Rome, where Ukrainian bishops met with the Holy Father and conveyed to him the pain of the Ukrainian people, Bishop Borys said that Pope Francis was willing to address the Synod that he stands with Ukraine.
“He handed over 226 of his public statements to us, that is, he spoke publicly as the leader of more than a billion Catholics in the world 226 times about Ukraine and its suffering. I don’t know which country’s leader has spoken about it more frequently,” the Metropolitan noted.
“We are also aware,” he added, “that Catholics in the world have been very open to our refugees in Poland, Slovakia, and in the United States, where the president is a Catholic, 30 % of the House of Representatives are Catholics, 25 % of the Senate are Catholics, and Catholics make up 22 % of the population in the United States. It is vitally important that the Pope speaks about Ukraine and the places where our representatives are weak — Africa, South America.”
Referring to the Pope’s inappropriate statements about Russia, Bishop Borys believes that “we need to work on this ambiguity” and “Pope Francis still needs to be convinced [to understand the Ukrainian issue better — ed.] However, a billion Catholics support Ukrainians, particularly in neighboring countries that truly help Ukraine in defense, economy, and humanitarian terms.
“Some of the speeches are problematic, and the Pope himself acknowledged this. But when there is no Ukrainian voice, no ambassador, where Ukrainians have not contributed, the Pope continues to emphasize the persecution of Ukraine and its need for aid, prayers, and the restoration of justice in accordance with international law,” added the Metropolitan of Philadelphia.
The UGCC Department for Information
