In the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Peace be with you!

Beatitude, Your Eminence,
dear brothers in the episcopate,

After greeting the many pilgrims of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church gathered in Saint Peter’s Basilica last Saturday, today I have the joy of meeting you, celebrating your synodal assembly.

This important moment for you is taking place in the context of the Jubilee year, which invites all the People of God to be renewed in hope. As Pope Francis liked to repeat, hope does not disappoint, because it is based on the love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

Of course, in the current historical context it is not easy to talk about hope to you and to the people entrusted to your pastoral care. It is not easy to find words of consolation for the families who have lost their loved ones in this senseless war. I imagine that it is the same for you too, who are in contact every day with people wounded in their heart and in their flesh.

Despire this, I receive many witnesses of faith and hope on the part of men and women of your people. This is a sign of God’s strength, which manifests itself in the midst of the rubble of destruction.

I am aware that you have many needs to meet, in both the ecclesial and humanitarian spheres. You are called to serve Christ in every wounded and distressed person who turns to your communities asking for concrete help.

I am close to you, and through you I am close to all the faithful of your Church. Let us remain united in the one faith and the one hope. Our communion is a great mystery: it is also a real communion with all our brothers and sisters whose lives have been taken from this earth but are accepted in God. In Him everything lives and finds fullness of meaning.

Dear friends, we are always comforted by the certainty that the Holy Mother of God is with us, aids us, and guides us towards her Son, who is our peace. By her maternal intercession, I pray that peace may return to your homeland as soon as possible.

I thank you, and bless you from my heart.

The other day we enjoyed very much the “Our Father” song in Ukrainian. If you would sing for us, we could sing the “Our Father”.

[Singing of the “Our Father” in Ukrainian]

Blessing of the Holy Father
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Holy See Press Office Bulletin, 2 July 2025