Zelensky invites Pope Leo to Kyiv and lobbies for Sheptytsky’s canonization

Zelensky and Pope Leo. Photo: Zelensky’s Telegram

On 9 July 2025, during his meeting with Pope Leo in the Vatican, Volodymyr Zelensky invited the pontiff to visit Ukraine and also spoke in favor of canonizing the Uniate Metropolitan Andriy Sheptytsky.

“I told His Holiness about the respect Ukrainian society has for Andriy Sheptytsky, his deeds, including saving Jews during World War II and defending the Christian faith. We hope that the Metropolitan’s contribution and merits will receive proper recognition,” Zelensky wrote on his Telegram channel.

The President’s appeal came in the context of statements by the UGCC that the process of Sheptytsky’s beatification (canonization in Catholic tradition) is in its final stage.

Andriy Sheptytsky is one of the most prominent figures of the UGCC. He led the Greek Catholics from 1900 to 1944.

He is known for seeking contacts with political leaders, including those who today have the reputation of criminals.

For example, in a letter to Hitler on the occasion of the occupation of Kyiv in 1941, Sheptytsky wrote:
“I extend to Your Excellency my heartfelt congratulations on taking possession of the capital of Ukraine, the golden-domed city on the Dnipro – Kyiv. The Ukrainian people see in this the liberation of the capital from the Bolshevik yoke <...> I will pray to God for a blessing on your victory, which will guarantee lasting peace for Your Excellency, the German Army, and the German People.”

In a letter to Stalin on the occasion of Lviv’s liberation from the Nazis in 1944, Sheptytsky wrote:
“For the fulfillment of the cherished wishes and aspirations of Ukrainians, who for centuries have considered themselves one people and wanted to be united in one state, the Ukrainian people express to you their sincere gratitude.”

There are also well-known obsequious letters from Andriy Sheptytsky addressed to the Russian Emperor Nicholas II.

Earlier, the UOJ analyzed Sheptytsky’s role in Ukrainian history.

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