Aid to the Church in Need recently interviewed the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the Major Archbishop of Kiev-Ukraine. The discussion included the impacts of COVID-19 on the faithful in Ukraine, current tensions between Russia and Ukraine, and the hopes of Ukrainian Catholics that the Holy Father will visit the Eastern European country.

By ACN Staff

The national direction of Aid to the Church in Need Germany, Florian Ripka, recently interviewed His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Major Archbishop of Kiev-Ukraine and head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church is the largest of the Eastern Catholic Churches in terms of membership.

During the interview the Major Archbishop expressed the hope of many Ukrainian Catholics that the pope will visit Ukraine soon:

“Just as he recently visited Iraq, just as he will be going to visit different countries in the world in spite of the difficulties presented by COVID, so Ukraine is expecting the Holy Father to visit. I recall how one old woman recently approached me to say, ‘When the Holy Father comes and touches Ukrainian soil, then the war will come an end.’”

Major Archbishop Shevchuk explained that in a recent visit to the Vatican by the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, that the Holy Father was given an invitation to visit the Eastern European country. The meeting between the prime minister and pope was well received in Ukraine. The Major Archbishop elaborates further:

“It was also a good sign that the relationship between the state of Ukraine and the Holy See would offer a means not only of preventing any form of escalation in the conflict in Ukraine, but also of learning how to foster dialogue and reconciliation.”

There have been obvious tensions between Russia and Ukraine in recent years, with open conflict occurring in the east of Ukraine. The Ukrainian President. Volodymyr Zelensky. recently suggested that he and Russian President, Vladimir Putin, could meet in the Vatican to try to resolve the current tensions. The Ukrainian President explains the Vatican is the ideal location, as the Vatican does not have political motivations in these sorts of conflicts and is a credible moral force.

The Major Archbishop explains that violence is not the answer to current issues relating to Russia and Ukraine. Dialogue, the Major Archbishop elaborates, is what is needed to solve current political tensions and bring healing to Ukraine. Major Archbishop Shevchuk is currently the chairman of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organisations. He explains that the churches are united in their calls for a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine for Easter, which the Eastern Churches are celebrating on the 2nd of May this year. The Major Archbishop explains:

“We pray that the joyful liturgical chants will prevail over the voice of the cannons and guns. We pray for peace. It is our greatest desire that the Resurrection of Christ, the King of Peace, will bring us relief from the violence and the fear that we will be attacked once again.”

Major Archbishop Shevchuk explains that the humanitarian situation in the east of Ukraine gives him concern:

“Our main concern is the humanitarian situation in this part of Ukraine. The situation has deteriorated since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The people there are isolated, they have been forgotten, they do not have any access to medicine. The priests and parish communities are their only salvation. This is their only way of receiving any form of support or help. This is why we decided to remain with our people. And our priests there are doing outstanding work.”

The current restriction on public worship due to COVID-19 reminds the Major Archbishop of Soviet times. Many priests have started to broadcast Divine Liturgy. The Major Archbishops said this is reminiscent of the time of the Soviet persecution:

“At that time, the only way to receive some kind of spiritual support was to listen to Vatican Radio. It is almost exactly the same situation all over again.”

Although modern technology is a gift, the Major Archbishop is keenly aware of its limitation to the faithful. Many are suffering from “Eucharistic hunger”. Major Archbishop Shevchuk explains further:

“We can pray, we can preach online, we can even meditate on Holy Scripture online. But we cannot administer the sacraments online. And that is a major source of suffering at the moment.”  

The Major Archbishop said that despite current circumstance, the faithful in Ukraine are looking forward in joy to the celebration of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has been supporting the Church in Ukraine for many years, as the Church in that country still recovers from the Communist persecution in the 20th century. ACN’s support in Ukraine in recent years has been focused on supporting parish in the war-torn east of the country and also support for Christian media in the country. If you would like to help the Church in countries like Ukraine, please consider donating to ACN.