Ukrainian youth puts family in first place, Head of UGCC met with the Minister of Youth and Sport of Ukraine

The Head of the UGCC noted that this is an important meeting, when the minister comes up with an initiative that the church and the state have close cooperation. His Beatitude Sviatoslav thanked for this move.

The Primate recalled that as soon as he was elected Head of the Church, he promised that the priority of his pastoral ministry would be young people. "I'm trying to do this," he added.

According to him, in the UGCC there are various mechanisms of youth pastoral care, for this is a separate form of pastoral guidance, which has its own specifics, has its own difficulties, but at the same time - its beauty and charm.

His Beatitude Sviatoslav said that all the last year in the Catholic Church was practically devoted to the youth. Last October, the Pope summoned all the heads of churches and episcopal conferences to Rome, and we were only thinking together about the problems of young people. "It was a unique time that gave the opportunity to see the youth on a global scale. It was also interesting to hear how the Ukrainian youths live outside of Ukraine, in particular the Greek Catholic ones," said the Primate.

The Head of the Church noted that in the UGCC there is the Commission on the Affairs of Youth, as well as each diocese has its own youth commission, in which there are special people who are responsible for the pastoral care of the youth.

The representatives of the Ministry asked to share the data that the Catholic Church worked out when discussing the needs of youth in the world.

Oleksandr Yarema, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, who also came to the meeting, noted that the Ministry has a long tradition of cooperation with the UGCC, starting from the beginning of the 1990s, when the congress "Ukrainian Youth for Christ" was taking place. The Ministry also has good communication with the Church on the issue of migrants, in particular, how to encourage them to return to Ukraine.

According to the Deputy Minister, the Ministry of Youth and Sports is currently working with the UGCC Commission on Youth Affairs, in particular, plans to join (financially, too) the Christian Festival Wind of Hope, and make it interdenominational.

Minister of Youth and Sports Ihor Zhdanov noted that the Ministry also studies the needs of Ukrainian youth. He noted that he used various sociological studies for this purpose, and communicated with various youth organizations. According to these studies, Ukrainian youth in all polls places the institution of the family in first place.

This opinion was confirmed by His Beatitude Sviatoslav, who noted with pleasure that in the first place our Ukrainian youth puts a person, not material things. "Personal relationships give certainty. It is about finding a loved one, creating a family, which is the next step in serious relationships. The family, according to young Ukrainians, is the basis of a confident future. Because everything in the world is changing, everything can fall and collapse, but a loved one will never leave you. And then together people can take care of everything else."

Department of Information of the UGCC