Senior Ukrainian prelates recall late Pope’s efforts on nation’s behalf

April 24, 2025

In their statements following Pope Francis’s death, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk and Cardinal Mykola Bychok, CSsR, recalled the late Pontiff’s efforts on behalf of Ukraine.

“I thank God for the gift of his life and ministry—for his tireless efforts to end the war in Ukraine, his constant appeals for a just peace, and his fatherly closeness to the ‘martyred’ Ukrainian people,” said Major Archbishop Shevchuk, 54, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. “I recall with prayerful gratitude the Pope’s commitment to help in many difficult situations, especially concerning our captives and deported children.”

“When the powerful of this world refused to hear his calls for peace, he reached out to the peripheries of human suffering, revealing to them a merciful and loving God,” he added.

The prelate also recalled:

When I arrived in Argentina as a young bishop to serve the faithful of our Church, Cardinal Bergoglio welcomed me as a true father and friend, guiding me through the pastoral challenges in the country that was his earthly homeland.

In a lengthier statement, Cardinal Bychok, 45, who leads the Ukrainian Catholic eparchy of Melbourne (Australia), said that “each Pontiff imparts his own personal character on the Church. The Holy Father Francis was a Pope for the marginalized and those on the periphery. He was a man of simple piety who strove to bring the Church closer to people. His gave freely of his gifts and had a unique personal approach to all he met.”

Cardinal Bychok added:

Pope Francis was a Pope of peace. In a world devastated by war he called for peace and justice. I am grateful for the late Holy Father’s frequent appeals for a just peace in Ukraine and for the efforts of the Holy See that he oversaw, known and secret, that in some way helped bring relief to the imprisoned and suffering.

The Holy Father was a strong defender of life and the dignity of every person. He worked for the healing of divisions between East and West and for a greater understanding of other faiths, building on that which we have in common rather than our differences.

Building on the work of his illustrious predecessor Benedict XVI of blessed memory, Pope Francis apologized to survivors of abuse and set in place simpler procedures to deal with perpetrators. He began to implement a culture of safeguarding for the most vulnerable. Work that must continue into the future.

I ask all Catholics and people of good will to pray for the eternal repose of the late Holy Father giving thanks for his life and the gifts that he freely shared.

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