Pope meets Ukrainian Greek Catholics

November 25, 2013 - Pope Francis on Monday met a large group from the eastern rite Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, offering them the example of St. Josaphat, a Basilian monk and bishop martyred in 1632, for his efforts towards communion between Orthodox and Catholic Churches. Some 5000 pilgrims of the eastern rite Catholic Church from Ukraine and Bielorussia had come to celebrate a Divine Liturgy at the tomb of St. Josaphat, to mark 50 years of the arrival of the remains of the martyr under the altar of St. Basil the Great in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. “The best way to celebrate St. Josaphat is to love another and to love and serve the unity of Christians,” the Pope told the group. “In this task,” he said, “we are supported also by the courageous witness of many martyrs of most recent times, who are a great wealth and comfort for your Church.” He said that every aspect of our Christians life can be animated by the desire to build, collaborate, learn from one another and to witness to the faith together. The Holy Father wished that deep communion that they desire each day within the Catholic Church, help them build bridges of brotherhood also with other Churches and ecclesial communities in the Ukraine and elsewhere, where their communities are present. “The desire for communion urges us to seek and understand the other, to respect him and to accept and offer brotherly correction,” the Pope added.