Bishops of the UGCC Archeparchial Synod in Ukraine Hold Extraordinary Session

At the beginning of the Synod, His Beatitude Sviatoslav thanked the bishops for their participation despite countless obstacles related to the war.

During the Synod sessions, the bishops discussed the Church’s pastoral activity during martial law. His Beatitude Sviatoslav shared the Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine’s address to the Synod of Bishops. His Beatitude Sviatoslav also reported to the bishops on his own activities as Head of the Church, and on the work of the Patriarchal Curia during the last month, which was marked by the devastation of war.

The UGCC’s patriarchal economist, Fr. Lubomyr Yavorsky, reported on the activity of the UGCC’s Crisis Committee, and on the status of the financial sector of the UGCC in Ukraine.  He also described the extensive network of housing security, created for internally displaced persons within church infrastructures, and many other initiatives that our Church is implementing at this tragic time.

Ms. Tatyana Stavnycha, President of the Caritas Ukraine Charitable Foundation, reported on the activity of her organization.  She informed the bishops about the hundreds of tons of humanitarian aid received from foreign donors, containing food, medicine, clothes and other necessities, which are distributed to the needy through UGCC pastors, Caritas employees, and many volunteers. The President of Caritas Ukraine thanked all the bishops for their pastoral care and acts of charity within their dioceses and exarchates, especially evident during the last month.

Following the reports, the eparchial bishops shared their experiences of pastoral care in the present conditions, discussed strategies for improvement, and reviewed and confirmed the Recommendations on the facilitation of worship under martial law for daily use. The bishops also noted that tens and sometimes hundreds of tons of humanitarian aid, mainly food and basic necessities, had been collected and transferred to the most affected towns and villages in the war zones by their dioceses.

At the end of the Extraordinary Session of the UGCC Synod of Bishops in Ukraine, Metropolitan Vasyl Semenyuk, the Synod’s hospitable host, who received not only the Synodal bishops but also hundreds of refugees in Zarvanytsia, greeted His Beatitude on his eleventh anniversary of enthronization as Head of the UGCC.  On behalf of all the bishops, he thanked His Beatitude for showing strong and dignified leadership of the Church, especially evident in these very trying times.  In conclusion, the entire Synod sang the traditional "Mnohaya, blahaya lita!” (“Many blessed years") to the Head and Father of the UGCC.

After the Synod, the bishops present participated in the Act of Dedication to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in the Zarvanytsia Cathedral of the Mother of God. In this, they were spiritually united with the Holy Father Francis, who performed this dedication in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican,  -- and with the entire Catholic episcopate and presbytery of the world, who performed it in their cathedrals and parish churches.

Secretariat of the UGCC Synod of Bishops in Ukraine