They discussed the building cooperation within the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organisations and explored the possibility of resuming the work of the Kyivan Church Study Group.
This group, previously active in the 1990s, comprised Greek Catholic and Orthodox theologians who examined the possibility of double communion for the UGCC with both the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Roman Catholic Church. The group first met in Oxford in 1992.
Archbishop Shevchuk has in the past spoken about his church’s unique ecumenical position, maintaining the Byzantine liturgical tradition while in communion with Rome.
“Catholics and Orthodox actively seek ways to overcome the schism that arose in 1054 and was partially overcome in 1965,” he said in 2019. Such dialogue’s “ultimate goal” is “complete Eucharistic unity in the one Church of Christ.”
Shevchuk and Epiphaniy discussed their recent visits to the Vatican and the Phanar (the residence of the Patriarch of Constantinople).
Metropolitan Epiphaniy met the Pope in December, thanking him for his calls for peace and humanitarian initiatives. Shevchuk told reporters that his church had supported the visit, and affirmed that the UGCC is a strong advocate for the OCU abroad.
He travelled to Istanbul in October and met Patriarch Bartholomew, agreeing on the need to deepen ecumenical relations for this year’s 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.
In a national message last week, Shevchuk warned against “illusions” about how to end the war in Ukraine, echoing appeals from many Ukrainian public figures ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration as US President.
“It is our hope that it may be possible to put an end to the war this year – however, there are many illusions in the world about how this should be done,” he said.
“Our enemy seeks to interfere in every state’s internal affairs, and it will be the wrong way to stop this evil if you let it into your minds, enabling it to destroy political systems and economies with new forms of corruption and military intervention. Evil should not be appeased – it can only be stopped.”
He also thanked Pope Francis for condemning attacks on civilians in his annual address to diplomats at the Vatican earlier this month. Francis said Russian strike had left children “freezing to death” as hospitals and energy supplies were destroyed.
“Pope Francis said it is unacceptable to destroy infrastructure and bomb the civilian population – yet just as he was speaking these words, the Russians committed another crime in Zaporizhzhia, hitting a residential area with guided aerial bombs”, Shevchuk said.
“It is known that 13 people died and about 120 were injured as a result of this strike … May the Pope’s words strike the conscience of every person of goodwill throughout the world.”
The publication last week of Pope Francis’ memoir Hope revealed details of his reaction to the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He recorded that his immediate action was to “cancel all audiences” and head to the Russian embassy.
“It was the first time that a pope had done this,” he wrote. “I pleaded for the bombing to be suspended, I called for dialogue, proposed a Vatican mediation between the parties, saying that I was willing to go to Moscow at the earliest opportunity.”
Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov rejected his offer for mediation with “formal courtesy”, saying that “it wasn’t the right moment”.
Kyiv parliamentarians announced plans to declare an annual National Day of Prayer on 24 February, the anniversary of Moscow’s invasion, as the government sought assurance of sustained Western support despite President Trump’s offer to meet Vladimir Putin to negotiate an end to the conflict.
Representatives of the European Union, G7 states and international financial institutions pledged “unwavering support” for Kyiv and welcomed an outline of “reform commitments” for the coming year at a meeting with the Ukrainian premier Denys Shmyhal last week.
Meanwhile, an appeal from 160 Ukrainian public figures said 2025 would bring “uncertainties and hopes” and cautioned against attempts to freeze the conflict along current demarcation lines, requiring “territorial and sovereignty concessions” from Ukraine.
“Sustainable peace will only come when, under combined pressure from Ukraine and its allies, Russia faces a systemic crisis and the defeat of Putin’s regime,” it said. The signatories included politicians, academics, writers and civil society activists, as well as prominent Christians.
“Russia’s defeat in its war of aggression will re-establish an order based on rules and the interdependence of responsible players,” they said. “The security of global trade, nuclear energy and food security will be strengthened, while terrorist regimes and organisations will lose Russian support and weaken.”