A new Vatican stamp issue honouring Ukrainian Catholics marks three major milestones for the Catholic Church in Ukraine, even as the country continues to endure the ongoing war. Source: National Catholic Register.
The stamp features the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Kyiv, depicted rising amid the darkness of blackouts caused by Russian bombardments – an image meant to reflect the harsh reality Ukrainians have faced since 2022.
According to the Vatican City State’s Office of Postal and Philately, the special issue commemorates three events “of great spiritual relevance” for Ukraine: the 30th anniversary of the restoration of the Kyiv Diocese after the fall of the Soviet Union; the 20th anniversary of the return of the seat of the father and head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church to Kyiv; and the 12th anniversary of the cathedral’s construction.
Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk said the stamp recalls “the history of martyrdom of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church”, which survived persecution and was later reborn, according to a statement from his archbishopric’s secretariat.
Representatives of 20 diplomatic missions accredited to the Holy See also attended, along with clergy and members of ecclesial and civil organisations.
Fr Felice Bruno, head of the Vatican’s postal and philately service, said the issue is meant to “express closeness and affection” toward a Church that “for centuries has suffered persecutions and trials” and that in the past four years has endured “the very grave consequences of a cruel and dehumanising war.”
Calling the presentation “a great moment of consolation” for his Church, Archbishop Shevchuk said: “We feel truly embraced by the Holy See with this particular attention to our history and to our life in this tragic moment of war.”
“It is divine providence that this event takes place in the context of the painful remembrance of the fourth year since the beginning of the full-scale war in Ukraine,” he said.
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Vatican issues stamp honoring Ukrainian Catholics as war enters fourth year (By Almudena Martínez-Bordiú, EWTN News via National Catholic Register)
