VATICAN CITY – During an official visit to the Vatican to participate in the pontifical synod on the family, Patriarch Sviatoslav met with Pope Francis and once again informed him about the dire situation in Ukraine.
The pontiff and the primate of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church (UGCC) met on October 14.
Patriarch Sviatoslav told Pope Francis about the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine due to the war in the country’s east. He shared with the pope information about the 1.5 million internally displaced persons, victims of the war in the Donbas. The holy father assured the UGCC leader of his prayers and support for the restoration of peace in Ukraine.
“Ukraine is in my heart and will always remain there,” Pope Francis said.
The patriarch also thanked the holy father for his proclamation of the heroic virtues of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky, underscoring that “the figure of Metropolitan Andrey is invaluable in the life of our Church, and the signing of the decree on recognizing his heroic virtues is a manifestation of immense support of Ukraine by the Apostolic See.”
Patriarch Sviatoslav presented to Pope Francis a medal depicting Metropolitan Andrey that was issued on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of his birth through the efforts of Volodymyr Palchynsky, a Basilian monk from Ivano-Frankivsk. The pope gratefully accepted the gift and asked about symbols and images on the medal.
According to the UGCC, the medal features two quotes from works by Metropolitan Andrey stating his loyalty to the Church and the Ukrainian nation.