Political expert: Pope's arrival in Ukraine to step up UGCC expansion
Vladimir Zelensky and Pope Francis. Photo: twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa
If the head of the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) Pope Francis accepts an invitation from Vladimir Zelensky to come to Ukraine to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Independence, the UGCC will seek the maximum benefit from this visit for its expansion in the country, Mikhail Pogrebinsky, a Ukrainian political analyst and strategist said in a comment for the UOJ.
He believes that, despite the significance of the figure of Pope Francis in the world, his visit, if it takes place altogether, will not considerably enhance the influence of the UGCC in Ukraine. “The Greek Catholics would like to try to use this visit for expansion. To be honest, though,ec I do not believe in these prospects,” the expert said. According to Pogrebinsky, the pope did not publicly position himself as an enemy of Orthodoxy, therefore his arrival is unlikely to worsen the attitude of the Ukrainian authorities towards the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
As the UOJ reported, Zelensky invited Pope Francis to the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's independence.
Read also
In Podgorica, multi-thousand procession held on city's patron saint day
Thousands of believers walked in a procession through the capital of Montenegro, honoring the memory of Saint Simeon the Myrrh-Streaming.
Persecuted UOC parish in Zeleniv reads Great Canon
A Bukovynian Orthodox community, deprived of its church in 2024, conducts Great Lent services in an adapted facility.
Patriarch Bartholomew warns against unacceptable peace for Ukraine
The head of the Constantinople Church stated that to achieve peace in Ukraine, the leaders of nations must take the "narrow path of justice."
MinCulture opens Lavra's Near Caves only for groups and by reservation
The Ministry of Culture's statement says that "the opening of the Near Caves for believers is not only a long-awaited and outstanding event in church life but also a sign of the indestructibility of our faith".
Metropolitan Onuphry reads Great Canon at Intercession Convent of Kyiv
The Primate of the UOC led the Great Compline with the reading of the second part of the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete at the capital's Intercesssion Convent.
OCU “hierarch” selling fake ID documents sent to pre-trial detention center
The Ivano-Frankivsk court has chosen a preventive measure for the OCU "bishop" suspected of issuing fictitious ordination certificates for the rank of deacon to evade mobilization.