Record percentage of Greek Catholics in Ukraine as Orthodox numbers fall

‘This may be a space for the missionary work of the Church,’ said Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk.

The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) said it had “a record number of faithful in our country”.

Referring to a report by the Razumkov Centre, a Kyiv think tank, published at the end of January, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk said the share of Greek Catholics in the Ukrainian population had increased from eight per cent in 2014 to 12 per cent in 2024, based on an opinion poll conducted in October last year.

Over the same period, the share of those describing themselves as some form of Orthodox Christian fell from 70 per cent to 55 per cent, while a growing proportion described themselves as “just Christian” (10 per cent) or identified with no religion (18 per cent). Just 41 per cent of respondents aged 18-24 said they were Orthodox and 33 per cent said they had no religion.

The proportion of respondents who said they trusted the Church fell from the record-high 72.5 per cent in 2014 to 62.5 per cent, with a significantly more trust among residents of Ukraine’s western regions – the UGCC’s historic heartland, where 40 per cent identified with it – than in other parts of the country.

“This may be a space for the missionary work of the Church,” said Archbishop Shevchuk in a message on 4 February.

His statement followed an online meeting between Pope Francis and a group of 250 young Ukrainians at the UGCC cathedral in Kyiv. The Pope heard testimonies of the effect of the Russian invasion and answered participants’ questions, in the course of which he showed them a pocket-sized edition of the gospels and a rosary carried by a Ukrainian soldier killed in the war, which he said he kept at his desk.

“For me, this is a relic of a young man who gave his life for peace,” Francis said. “I keep it on my desk and pray with it daily. We must remember our heroes who defended their homeland.”

Responding to questions about the effect of the war, the Pope praised patriotism but warned against the instinct to “respond to a punch with another punch”.

”Your homeland is wounded by war, but love it. Loving one’s homeland is a beautiful thing,” he said, and acknowledged the difficulty of forgiveness in wartime. “But I am helped by this thought: I must forgive as I have been forgiven,” he said. “Each of us must recall how we have been forgiven. The art of forgiveness is not easy, but we must keep moving forward and always forgive.”

Pope has accepted invitation to Ukraine, says archbishop

Independent Ukrainian primate thanks Pope for prayers at first meeting

Stay updated — add us as a preferred news source on Google: