At the general audience on Wednesday 9 September 2026, a number of Ukrainian priests and laypeople from the Greek Catholic Church were present; they are currently in Rome to take part in a forum running from 8 to 10 September.
Led by Redemptorist Bishop Bryan J. Baida, Ordinary of the Ukrainian community in Toronto, and Father Roman Dermush, Deputy Director of the Commission for Youth Ministry of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), they thanked Pope Leo XIV for his remarks in the catechesis at the General Audience and, even more so, for his repeated appeals for peace in their homeland, such as the one made during the Angelus on Sunday 6 September, when he called for an end to the conflict in Ukraine and expressed solidarity “with the suffering of the people, who have been living in anguish and fear for years”.
“Our challenge,” commented Fr Roman Dermush to Vatican News, “is to strengthen and nurture the faith and spirituality of young Ukrainians fleeing their homeland, whilst seeking to ease the burden of their pain. In this regard, we thanked the Pontiff for his tireless solidarity with the afflictions of our people – a solidarity that also helps us to heal the visible and invisible wounds of the individual.”
Scala News/ Vatican News
