Pope expresses closeness to Ukraine, pays tribute to Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church’s heritage

June 30, 2025

Pope Leo XIV addressed 5,000 pilgrims from the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church on June 28, the day of the Eastern-rite church’s 2025 jubilee event in Rome (video).

“Your pilgrimage is a sign of the desire to renew the faith, to strengthen the bond and the communion with the Bishop of Rome, and to bear witness to the hope that does not disappoint, since it is born from the love of Christ that was poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit,” the Pope, speaking in St. Peter’s Basilica, said to the pilgrims, led by Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk.

“Many of you, in order to arrive here, departed from your beautiful land, rich in Christian faith, rendered fruitful by the evangelical witness of so many saints, and irrigated with the blood of many martyrs, who throughout the centuries, with the gift of their life, sealed their fidelity to the Apostle Peter and his Successors,” he continued, adding:

The faith of your people is now being sorely tested. Many of you, since the large-scale invasion of Ukraine began, have surely asked: Lord, why all this? Where are you? What must we do to save our families, our homes and our homeland? To believe does not mean to have all the answers, but to trust that God is with us and gives us His grace, that He will have the last word, and life will conquer death.

The Pontiff concluded:

Sisters and brothers, as I meet you here, I would like to express my closeness to tormented Ukraine, to the children, the young people, the elderly and, in a special way, to the families who mourn their loved ones. I share your sorrow for the prisoners and victims of this senseless war. I entrust to the Lord your intentions, your daily hardships and tragedies, and above all, the desires for peace and serenity.

I encourage you to walk together, pastors and faithful, keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus, our salvation. May the Virgin Mary, who precisely because of her union with the passion of her Son is Mother of Hope, guide and protect you. I bless all of you, your families, your Church and your people, from my heart. Thank you.

 

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Further information:

• To the Pilgrims of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church (Dicastery for Communication - Libreria Editrice Vaticana)
• Abbracciare la fede non imbracciare le armi (L'Osservatore Romano)