Shevchuk: The Pope said his strongest words on Ukraine after meeting with me

Pope Francis and the head of the UGCC, Sviatoslav Shevchuk. Photo: Ukrinform

The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), Sviatoslav, considers Pope Francis’s statement on the inadmissibility of killing innocent people as one of the strongest messages of his pontificate in support of Ukraine, which he made after their meeting. He shared this in a comment to Ukrinform.

"This Sunday, October 13, Pope Francis made one of the most powerful statements of his pontificate in support of Ukraine. After the Sunday Angelus prayer, he clearly and unequivocally said: 'Stop killing the innocent.' He called on the entire world to help Ukraine so that its enemies cannot achieve their goal of freezing Ukrainians this winter due to the systematic destruction of the infrastructure of our cities and villages," Shevchuk recounted the Pope’s words.

According to him, this statement by the pontiff surprised many, and he added that prior to this, on October 10, he had an audience with the Pope.

"In particular, I spoke about the approaching winter and the challenges of providing energy for our cities and villages," said the head of the UGCC.

He believes that it was his request to the pontiff that prompted the Pope to make such a statement.

"I am very pleased that the Holy Father responded to my request in this way... These words of the Pope, 'stop killing the innocent in Ukraine,' have already become a symbol, a slogan that is being repeated by millions of people around the world," Shevchuk asserted.

As reported by the UOJ, on October 13, Pope Francis once again called for an immediate ceasefire on all fronts and stated that war is a failure for everyone, especially for those who consider themselves invincible.

Read also