The head of the UGCC compared Paul Gallagher's visit to Moscow to a descent into hell

Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), issued a harsh assessment of the diplomatic visit by a representative of the Holy See to the Russian capital. According to the religious leader, the trip by the Vatican’s secretary for relations with states, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, to Moscow could be metaphorically compared to Christ’s descent into hell, with the head of the UGCC referring to the very location of the visit as “the underworld.”

Archbishop Paul Gallagher’s official visit to Russia took place from August 25 to 27, 2026. As part of his mission, the Vatican representative held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, during which he officially condemned the ongoing hostilities and conveyed Pope Leo XIV’s call for the start of a negotiation process.

Commenting on these events in his weekly address, Sviatoslav Shevchuk emphasized the complexity of the diplomatic task, stating: “This visit can be compared to a descent into hell, where a sermon on the resurrection of the dead resounds from the depths of hell.” Previously, the UGCC had already used similar pointed comparisons to describe events in Moscow, in particular, characterizing the consequences of the recent shelling of the city as “the descent of the Holy Fire.”