ris.org.ua - On these days the head of the UGCC is making an official pastoral visit to the UK at the invitation of Bishop Hlib (Lonchyna), the eparch of the Eparchy of the Holy Family in London. The official visit of the Head of the UGCC to Great Britain lasts from 19 to 31 October 2017.

According to the UGCC Department of Information, on October 29, 2017, His Beatitude Svyatoslav spoke during the sermon to the faithful at the Cathedral of the Holy Family in Europe about the mission of Ukrainians in Europe – “to become a good field, upon which the Word of God has fallen and brought a good fruit.”

“For centuries, Ukraine was called the breadbasket of Europe. Not only because we had some good and fertile land. Not only because a lot of grain was delivered to Europe from our Ukrainian lands. But today, this breadbasket sows Europe with a different kind of grain. Under difficult circumstances, and especially because of Ukraine's pain, patience and tears, and the economic challenges our people must seek for a better future in the countries of Europe, the Lord sees each of us as a seed, a seed that has to sow the West European land in which someone has stolen the Word of God. We have to sow this land with the Word of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” said the UGCC head.

According to His Beatitude Sviatoslav, each of us is called to witness our Christian faith in his place: “At work or even standing before the British authorities, asking you everywhere about your passport and visa, you must attest you are primarily Christians. God wants us to be the grain that sows these countries for a new cause – the new evangelization,” said the preacher.

The head of the UGCC thanked the Pope on behalf of the whole Church as initially the exarchate was created on his blessing, and then the diocese of the UGCC in Great Britain, he also thanked all the priests, hierarchs, in particular the Bishops Hlib (Lonchyna) and Pavlo (Khomnytskyy), the bishops and the community who has sown there the Word of God: “The next year the temple (the Cathedral of the Holy Family - Ed.) will mark 50 years when the Ukrainian community collected funds for it. This sanctuary is a visible sign that the Word of God has brought fruit to our people. The love for God and the solidarity of Ukrainians have built this temple in the UK and clustered our communities around the Church,” said the Primate of the UGCC.