“I would like to thank the Italian Church for its closeness to the Ukrainian people at a difficult time marked by ongoing war. We are deeply grateful for this support”. Mgr. Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Major Archbishop of Kyiv-Halyč and head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, wrote this in a letter to all the Bishops of Italy who are gathered in Rome for the General Assembly of the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI), which started yesterday afternoon. “I would like to update you on the situation in our country – His Beatitude Shevchuk wrote -, which has never seen a real truce in the four years that followed the beginning of Russia’s aggression. A “forgotten war” in the heart of Europe continues to sow death and cause a serious humanitarian crisis. This war is not different from those serious wars that are devastating the world. Indeed, the war in eastern Ukraine has caused the death of over 10,000 people; 1.8 million people have been displaced within the country while another four million, of whom one million are children, are in urgent need of humanitarian aid”.
The issue of Ukrainian migration is closely linked to the situation in the country. In his letter, His Beatitude Sviatoslav spoke of growing numbers of Ukrainians in Italy. According to official data, 200,000 Ukrainian nationals, a third of whom are under 30s, are currently living in our country. But if we took unregistered Ukrainian migrants into account, the figure would double. In particular, the number of young people whose presence in Italy is no longer temporary, but regular and permanent, is on the rise. Strong is the pastoral commitment of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in providing spiritual guidance to its faithful living in our country thanks to a service carried out by 65 priests. In this regard, Mgr. Shevchuk commended the Migrantes Foundation, expressing gratitude for “the warm welcome given to our communities” in the different dioceses, which he called “a great brotherly gesture by the Italian Church, whose support has never failed”. The letter ends by recalling the visit that Card. Gualtiero Bassetti will pay to Ukraine in July to mark the national pilgrimage to the Marian Shrine of Zarvanytsia. “For our people, plagued by war and suffering – Mgr. Shevchuk wrote -, his visit will be a sign of affection and closeness from the Italian Church”.