UGCC head compares Vatican secretary’s Moscow visit to descent into hell

UGCC head Sviatoslav Shevchuk. Photo: screenshot from Zhyve Television YouTube channel

UGCC head Sviatoslav Shevchuk compared the visit of Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States, to Moscow with Christ’s descent into hell. In his weekly video address, the Uniate leader likened the Russian capital to the underworld, the UGCC press service reports.

Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States of the Holy See, paid an official visit to the Russian capital from August 25 to 27, 2026. During the trip, the Vatican representative held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Gallagher condemned the hostilities and conveyed Pope Leo XIV’s call for the sides to come to the negotiating table.

Sviatoslav Shevchuk commented on the Vatican’s diplomatic mission.

“This visit can be compared to the descent into hell, when the proclamation of the resurrection of the dead is heard from the depths of hell,” Shevchuk said.

As the UOJ reported, the UGCC previously described a fire following an attack on Moscow as a “descent of the Holy Fire.”

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