UGCC delegation in the Holy Land met with the Apostolic Nuncio to Israel and the Patriarch of the Roman Catholic Church in Jerusalem

On April 8^th, UGCC delegation, headed by Primate of Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church His Beatitude Svaitoslav (Shevchuk) had two significant meetings in the Holy Land—one, with the Apostolic Nuncio to Israel Guiseppe Lazzarotto and the other, with the Patriarch of the Roman Catholic Church in Jerusalem, Fouad Twal.

The first meeting with Bishop Guiseppe Lazzarotto took place at the Apostolic Nunciature in Jerusalem. “With the nuncio we first discussed the possibility of assistance in the pastoral care of our emigrants in the Holy Land.  Since the fall of the Soviet Union some twenty years ago, there have been close to a million emigrants from the former Soviet Union who have become citizens here.  Most of them are of senior age and today need care.  And probably, there are our women taking care of them,” stated his Beatitude Sviatoslav.

The Apostolic Nuncio noted that the phenomenon of emigration to Israel is pretty changeable, and needs constant monitoring and studying.  Most immigrants who arrive here do not always have work permits.  Therefore, according to Israeli law, they are not always protected in their rights, especially if they state that they are Christians.

“Therefore, I asked the Apostolic Nuncio to give us  the necessary assistance so that our Church could receive enough information and on the basis of that to develop a necessary program of monitoring and a strategy of pastoral care here in the State of Israel” reported  UGCC Head.

According to UGCC Primate, His Holiness, was very happy to meet with the delegation of Ukrainian Greek-Catholics and stated that perhaps this was the first time that the Catholic Church of the Eastern Rite comes to Jerusalem and visits the Jerusalem Patriarch of the Latin Rite.

“The trip of our delegation is above all, a pilgrimage which we are doing on the occasion of the 1025^th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus-Ukraine.  More than a century ago, a similar pilgrimage to the Holy Land for pilgrims from Halychyna was organized by Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky.  Besides our delegation, right now there are several other pilgrim groups here,” His Beatitude Sviatoslav told the RCC Patriarch of Jerusalem.

Also UGCC Head reminded His Holiness that in 2011 he attended the European Conference of Bishops which was held in Tiran and urged all that Christians from throughout the world support Christians in the Holy Land.  One method of showing support is not only the yearly collection of money that UGCC holds, but also by pilgrimages.  It is exactly pilgrimages that provide great support to Christians in these lands.

“The Patriarch was very grateful that UGCC sends such large numbers of pilgrims to the Holy Land and that we recreated the pilgrimage which was once done by Metropolitan Andrey.  One method which can really make faith alive and relevant for the contemporary Christian is to permit him to touch the springs of the life of the Church here.  I replied, that in celebrating the jubilee anniversary of the Baptism of Rus-Ukraine, we could not bypass a visit to the Jerusalem Church,” said the Head and Father of Greek-Catholics in relating his account of the visit.

Also the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic delegation led by His Beatitude Sviatoslav visited the Church of the Sepulcher of the Lord.  The pilgrims paid their respects to the place where Lord Jesus Christ was crucified and died.  They also joined the procession of the Franciscan Fathers in praying the Way of the Cross – the passion, death and resurrection of the Savior.

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UGCC Department of Information