Pope Francis met with representatives of the UGCC in the Vatican. There he assured the Uniates of his solidarity and prayerful closeness, and said that he is with the “Ukrainian people” in the war. This was reported in the press service of the UGCC.

“A particular pain of the Ukrainian people is the fact that you sumnivayet, with whom the Pope. I want to assure you of my solidarity with you and my constant prayerful closeness. I am with the Ukrainian people,” the pope said for the head of the UGCC, Sviatoslav Shevchuk.

The Pope also brought to the meeting an icon of the Virgin Mary, which was once given to him by Sviatoslav Shevchuk and emphasized that he prays before it every day for Ukraine and considers it a special gesture and a symbol of closeness to the Ukrainian people.

In turn, representatives of the UGCC thanked the Pontiff for his support of Ukraine at the international level. In particular, the bishops noted the importance of the mission of Cardinal Matteo Zupi, who traveled to Kyiv and Moscow to implement the Vatican’s plan to end the war in Ukraine.