Ecumenical Patriarch met Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church leader at Vatican

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew met with Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), at the Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican on Saturday, October 24, 2026.

During the meeting, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav congratulated Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on the 35th anniversary of his patriarchal ministry and thanked him for his continued support for Ukraine, particularly his opposition to the ideology of the “Russian World” (Russkiy Mir).

According to the UGCC, Sviatoslav described the ideology as a challenge not only to Ukrainians but to Christians of all denominations, emphasizing the need for a common response grounded in ecumenical dialogue.

He also criticized the distortion of Christian patriotism into loyalty to a “warring god,” arguing that such ideas, reflected in Patriarch Kirill’s recent book War: Beyond Visible Causes and Consequences, undermine the foundations of dialogue between Churches.

The UGCC leader also congratulated Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on receiving an honorary doctorate in theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome, where Sviatoslav himself earned his…