A Conversation between His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the UGCC and His Grace Rowan Williams, Archbishop Emeritus of Canterbury

On 7 May 2021, Cambridge Ukrainian Studies, an academic center at The University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, hosted “Church Matters,” a conversation between His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and His Grace Rowan Williams, Archbishop Emeritus of Canterbury.   

During the wide-ranging, nearly 90-minute discussion, His Beatitude Sviatoslav and His Grace Archbishop Emeritus Rowan, discussed a number of topics including the global nature of the UGCC, the ecumenical vision of Metropolitan Andrei Sheptytsky and the current ecumenical situation in Ukraine, Catholic and Christian education in Ukraine, the opportunities and challenges in retaining authenticity during on-line divine liturgy and connectivity during the pandemic and the important role of women in the UGCC.  

A link to the Zoom conversation, which was held in English, is here.

“We are Ukrainian by our origin, but we are global in our mission,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav when explaining the global reach of the UGCC.  “We are a Church with a millennium of history. We are a Church which has conserved (sic) in its mystical memory the undivided Christianity [which existed] before the great schism of 1054. This is why this great desire for Christian unity to be restored is something which belongs to our identity. The memory of the communion of the whole Church of Christ is a treasure of the tradition of the Kyivan Church,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav.

Leading the discussion, His Grace Archbishop Rowan posed inciteful questions about the leadership of Metropolitan Andrei Sheptytsky, ecumenism, education and serving the faithful during the pandemic. The 104^th Archbishop of Canterbury from 2002 until 2012, Archbishop Rowan served as chancellor of the University of New South Wales in 2014 and as master of Magdalene College, Cambridge between 2013 and 2020.

The discussion was also moderated by Olenka Pevny, Director of Cambridge Ukrainian Studies and a University Lecturer in Early Slavonic History and Culture and Andrii Smytsniuk, Language Teaching Officer with Cambridge Ukrainian Studies.

In words of Olenka Pevny, “Hosted by Cambridge Ukrainian Studies since 2003, the annual Stasiuk Lecture Series explores the dynamic and global implications of events taking place in Ukraine. This year’s lecture “Church Matters” addressed the role of religion in shaping Ukraine’s present and future. It brought together in conversation two distinguished ecclesiastics, His Grace Rowan Williams, Archbishop Emeritus of Canterbury and His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, who considered the role of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in building Ukrainian community within the global ecumenical family.”

Cambridge Ukrainian Studies is an academic center at the University of Cambridge. It aims to promote and contribute to the study of Ukraine in the United Kingdom and beyond. It is committed to deepening public understanding of Ukraine and to advancing fresh, innovative approaches to research on the largest country within Europe, a critical crossroads between 'East' and 'West' with a rich historical, linguistic, and cultural inheritance.