‘If will we lose the children and youth, we will lose the future of our Church,’ Bishop Dionisiy (Lyakhovych)

“The Ukrainian nation is a gift of God,” stated Bishop Dionisiy (Lyakhovych), apostolic visitor for the Ukrainian Greek Catholics in Italy and Spain. The bishops of the EU who see that Ukrainian workers are industrious and good people, as well as very devout, agree because more and more families where Ukrainians work are attending the churches of the Roman Catholic Church. “Overall the last migration is very difficult, often negative. But it does also have its graces. The last emigration has developed our Church in North and South America, Australia, and Europe. Consequently, this phenomenon is like a double-edged sword – the negative is combined with the positive. Because while the politicians discus Ukraine’s integration into the EU, our people are living it,” Bishop Dionisiy noted. Alongside very hard work, problems with legalization and nostalgia for their homeland, Ukrainian workers have the opportunity to visit different cities of the world, join pilgrimages to Lourdes, Fatima, and other sacred places, and learn many new things. Therefore they not only financially support Ukraine, but also enrich themselves by learning about the European culture. Among the migratory dangers, however, Bishop Dionisiy especially worries over immigrants’ children – those who remained without paternal guardianship in Ukraine and those who moved abroad with their parents. “Our children assimilate very quickly. They attend Roman Catholic schools where they study a foreign language, and they forget their native one. And if will we lose the children and youth, we will lose the future of our Church,” notes the apostolic visitor. More about the problems of migration and how they are being addressed can be found in an interview with Bishop Dionisiy (Lyakhovych) on our site.

Information Department of the UGCC