The head of the DESS accused the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of obstructing Pope John Paul II’s visit to Ukraine

Viktor Yelensky, head of Ukraine’s State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience, accused the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of opposing the visit of Pope John Paul II to Ukraine, which took place 25 years ago. Yelensky noted that representatives of the UOC, in protesting the Pontiff’s visit to Ukraine, refused to acknowledge that John Paul II’s visit was a response to a request from Ukrainian society, which he said included supporters of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) and the Roman Catholic Church (RCC). Yelensky’s remarks were reported by the DESS press service .

DESS Head Viktor Yelensky emphasized that the Pope’s 2001 visit was a “colossal step away from Moscow.” According to the official, it was precisely during that period that “the Russian authorities and the Moscow Patriarchate keenly realized the threat to their imperial ambitions.” Yelensky noted that the visit not only served as a moral compass for society during an era of political crises but also contributed to the elevation of human dignity, which later manifested itself in the events of the “Orange Revolution” and the “Revolution of Dignity”.

“They forgot about Ukrainian society. They forgot that there are others who are actually waiting for this visit and for whom it holds deep and natural significance. These people were representatives of civil society, believers of the Greek Catholic and Roman Catholic Churches—people who understood very clearly that the Pope’s visit was what is called a colossal step away from Moscow. And Moscow itself was the one that best understood the significance of this visit for Ukraine,” noted the chairman of the DESS.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Viktor Yelensky expressed his conviction that the defense of freedom of conscience is a key component of Ukraine’s contemporary global struggle for fundamental human rights. Conference participants agreed that the legacy of Pope John Paul II remains “a powerful impetus for defending independence and striving for a just peace.”

“I believe that the Holy Father would be here, at the center of this greatest just struggle. And so today, together with millions of people, I would like to ask: Holy Pope John Paul II, pray to God for us, for Ukraine, for our victory, and for a just peace,” Yelensky concluded.

As a reminder, we previously reported that Pope Leo XIV held a meeting with the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Sviatoslav Shevchuk, at the Vatican. During the audience, Sviatoslav Shevchuk once again invited the Pope to visit Ukraine.