Shevchuk hopes that Pope Leo will not listen to "slanderers" of UGCC

Sviatoslav Shevchuk. Photo: TSN

The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) stated on the official website of his structure that Pope Leo, while still a bishop in Peru, drew his knowledge about Ukraine exclusively from Shevchuk's video messages. "I am convinced that he listened to or read my daily messages – I recognized certain terms and expressions that he used to speak from Kyiv to the world about the war in Ukraine," Shevchuk assured.

Therefore, he hopes that the Pontiff "will also listen to us before listening to propagandists from Moscow or other ideologues who try to demean, slander our Church, or distort the truth about Ukraine."

Shevchuk believes that the Pope's position on Ukraine should be formed based on what he is told by the UGCC.

"He will listen to the voice of the Church from Ukraine, and in this way, it will be, I would say, an interpretative matrix for him, through which he will understand what to say, how to act, and how to respond in relation to our nation and Church," Shevchuk stated.

He also believes that the UGCC's influence on the Pope will lead to Vatican pressure on Russia. "We hope that dialogue and communication – particularly between our Church and the new Pope – will grow and develop, and this will significantly influence the position of the Apostolic See and concrete steps, including diplomatic ones, to restrain and stop the barbaric invasion that is destroying Ukraine," the head of the UGCC declared.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that, according to Shevchuk, the most powerful statement on Ukraine by Pope Francis was made after his meeting with him.

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