His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, shared his thoughts on the election of the new Pope Leo XIV in an interview with TSN and expressed his hope that the new Pontiff will support Ukraine.
First impressions after the announcement of the new Pope
His Beatitude Sviatoslav said the moment the new Pontiff’s name was announced was one of sincere joy. According to the Head of the UGCC, the election of Pope Leo XIV came as a surprise to many.
“Obviously, it was a surprise for many… But I truly believe that this is a great blessing for the entire Church and for the whole world,” emphasized His Beatitude.
He also shared his impressions of the new Pope, whom he had met previously during papal synods: “I had the impression that he is a very calm person—some even say unassuming. He wasn’t loud or highly visible, but he carried out his duties prayerfully, quietly, and with great modesty,” noted the Head of the UGCC.
The meaning of the name and mission of the new Pope
The Primate noted that the first Pope named Leo—St. Leo the Great—was the Pope of the Fourth Ecumenical Council (Chalcedon), remembered for uniting the Western and Eastern Roman Empires. Pope Leo XIII, he added, is known as the patron of the Eastern Catholic Churches and the Pope during the time of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky.
“Leo XIII led humanity from the 19th into the 20th century. And now, with Leo XIV, we are embarking on an enthralling journey into a new era of modern humanity. I therefore believe this will be a Pope who sees the world through the eyes of the Risen Christ—and his first words were, precisely: ‘Peace be with you,’” His Beatitude said.
Pope Leo XIV’s stance on Ukraine and Russian aggression
When asked how well the new Pontiff understands the situation in Ukraine, His Beatitude Sviatoslav expressed confidence in his awareness and concern.
“He listened very carefully to the voice of our Church, especially in the context of Russia’s full-scale invasion of our Ukrainian land. We worked to inform the whole world, and I shared daily video messages throughout the first year of the war. I know that he read them,” said the Head of the UGCC.
His Beatitude also recalled the current Pope’s strong statements on Russian aggression during his time as a bishop in South America: “He made very clear statements even then, denouncing this military aggression as imperialist. He plainly said that Russia is the aggressor and that Ukrainians are a strong people with the right to defend themselves.”
“We were very moved to hear that he quoted some of our words even back then, while still in Peru. I also know that he has been closely following developments in Ukraine and Eastern Europe since arriving at the Vatican,” he added.
Prospects for relations between the UGCC and the Vatican
Speaking about the future of relations between the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and the Apostolic See, His Beatitude Sviatoslav expressed confidence in their positive development: “I believe that they will only grow stronger. I hope to have the opportunity to meet the newly elected Pope in person and that he will indeed have a special closeness to us.”
The special mission of Pope Leo XIV in the modern world
The Head of the UGCC also highlighted the new Pope’s unique ability to bridge worlds and cultures: “This is a Pope who has truly managed to unite two worlds that have often stood in opposition—the worlds of North and South America. In the American context, north and south represent what some see as colonizers and the colonized.”
“In Argentina and Peru, for example, North America is often associated with modern aggressive colonizers who extract resources and power from the poorer South. But he was able to unite these two worlds. He is, for instance, an American who—here in the Vatican—barely spoke English. In fact, he was sometimes called the least American of the American cardinals,” His Beatitude Sviatoslav concluded.
