(Bratislava) – His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), has recently presented the first results of a public project of historical research into Kyivian Christianity. The academic task of the program is to elaborate a critical study of theological, canonical and socio-cultural sources regarding the Kyivan Church in a wider comparative context of universal Christian traditions. Works on “Ukraine United and the Kyivian Church” started in September 2013 with 11 scientific studies that have been completed so far. “First of all, it was a study of historical sources that would help us discover the identity of Kyivan Christianity. But we quickly went beyond mere historical research, although it is also very important. We understood that it is necessary to study theology, liturgy, the Holy Scripture, as well as the Church music”, explains His Beatitude Sviatoslav. As he adds, today the UGCC representatives know that the study of the Church of Kyiv means to study the common roots that unite all the Churches that are “the heirs of St. Volodymyr´s Baptism”, thus the project has a strong ecumenical aspect. The head of UGCC also emphasized the key role of mutual relations between the Ukrainian culture and Christianity that has emerged from historical research, proving that the civil life has always been strongly influenced by religion.