Head of the UGCC: Social ministry is one of the key ways of the Church's presence in the modern world

Sunday, 04 October 2020, 20:44
Social ministry means love, which in modern circumstances is taking on a new form. It is a testimony that we are believing Christians. This love testifies that we perform the Liturgy not only when we are in the church, but also when we help a needy person with acts of charity. This was emphasized by His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the UGCC, in his welcoming speech during the online UGCC Social Ministry Forum called "Social Ministry for Human."

Social ministry means love, which in modern circumstances is taking on a new form. It is a testimony that we are believing Christians. This love testifies that we perform the Liturgy not only when we are in the church, but also when we help a needy person with acts of charity. This was emphasized by His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the UGCC, in his welcoming speech during the online UGCC Social Ministry Forum called "Social Ministry for Human." In his speech, His Beatitude Sviatoslav noted that the ability to mobilize and find new forms of ministry to be close to the needy is something that will help bring the power of God's Word into the newest culture that is being created before our eyes.

The Head of the UGCC stated that today's forum "Social Ministry for Human," which unites various structures that serve people, is one of the most important events in our Church. "From the perspective of a few months, we ask ourselves: how will the Church be remembered by humanity and the Ukrainian people during this time of pandemic?" – he added. According to him, the answer lies in the sphere of social ministry, which in today's reality is taking on a whole new meaning. According to the Primate of the UGCC, humanity is not yet fully aware of the consequences of the pandemic. "Apart from the medical and sanitary nature, we are feeling the profound consequences in the economic life of the country and in the humanitarian sphere. Quarantine restrictions are a severe scourge for the national economy. We are in great danger of starvation. According to the UNO report, there might be a famine of biblical proportions,” he said.

The Head of the Church said that in recent weeks the bishops of the UGCC held a session of the Synod in an online format, where they decided to issue a pastoral letter on poverty. According to him, awareness of the issue of poverty in a pandemic is extremely important. His Beatitude Sviatoslav also announced the start of the program "Feeding the Poor," which will be launched soon in all parishes of our Church. "Pope Francis established the Day of the Poor to draw attention to the needy in their various forms. This year, the Day of the Poor will be held on November 15. We want to hold an action called "Feeding the Poor." In each parish we ask our faithful to create foodbanks. We ask everyone to bring food to the church, which can be stored e.g. cereals, pasta, oil, etc. Such collections are made by the Catholic Church all over the world. I want this action to become a concrete way for us to prove our faith in the difficult circumstances of the pandemic,” emphasized the Father and Head of the UGCC.

"On the occasion of the Forum, I ask you to properly prepare this campaign. I would very much like hundreds of thousands of hungry people to bless God for receiving food on that day. May the Lord hear the prayers of the poor," said His Beatitude Sviatoslav. Reference The UGCC Forum "Social Ministry for Human" was held online this year. It was organized by the Department for Social Ministry of the UGCC and ICF Caritas Ukraine. The event started at 10:00. The steam line was held from Kyiv, and the participants, who gathered in their eparchies, were connected by a teleconference via the Internet. The participants discussed not only Ukrainian, but also international experience in serving to the people in need. In particular, representatives of Caritas the Archdiocese of Vienna (Austria) shared their experience in the network of parish Caritas.

The UGCC Department for Information

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