His Beatitude Sviatoslav met with the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Yulia Laputina

Thursday, 14 January 2021, 16:59

On January 12, 2021, His Beatitude Sviatoslav welcomed Yulia Laputina, the Minister for Veterans' Affairs of Ukraine, at his residence at the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ of the UGCC. The meeting was attended by Fr. Andriy Zelinsky, SJ, Deputy Head of the Military Chaplaincy Department of the Patriarchal Curia of the UGCC.

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At the beginning of the conversation, the Head of the Church noted that today the situation with the pandemic has taught the global human community to value consolidation of joint efforts in the face of threats, appreciation of someone's real presence in our life and service to each other.

The archbishop stressed that at the heart of the service of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church is a man, and therefore we, as a church community, are ready to continue and further promote the rehabilitation and return to society of those who stood for the people of Ukraine and its state.

During the meeting, the Primate of the UGCC acquainted the Minister with the projects of our Church in the field of pastoral care of veterans and families of the dead. In particular, he spoke about groups of mutual assistance and support which unite war-wounded Ukrainian families throughout the country; rehabilitation measures with the participation of UGCC military chaplains in order to prevent post-traumatic stress disorders; and proper honoring the memory of fallen defenders.

His Beatitude Sviatoslav emphasized the special significance of the Address of the Synod of Bishops of the Kyiv-Halych Major Archbishopric of the UGCC on Healing the Wounds of War "We Are Healed by His Wounds" regarding establishing quality care for veterans and their families.

The Minister expressed the readiness of the Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs of Ukraine to support initiatives that help to ensure quality and effective social reintegration of our veterans, including the organization and operation of mobile groups that will conduct training on psychological and spiritual resilience in remote regions of our country. Such groups are expected to include military chaplains, psychologists, social workers, and representatives of the Ministry of Veterans.

At the end of the conversation, the parties agreed on further joint steps aimed at exchanging information on the humanitarian needs of Ukrainian veterans, and agreed to assist in the implementation of the projects discussed during the meeting.

Department of Military Chaplaincy of Patriarchal Curia of the UGCC