As Ukraine continues to endure the horrors of war, relentless missile strikes, and widespread displacement, Archbishop Borys Gudziak Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia remains a tireless voice of hope, resilience, and solidarity.
Speaking to Vatican News, Archbishop Gudziak reflected on the vital mission of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church during one of the darkest chapters in modern Ukrainian history. Despite the devastation, he emphasized that the Church has never left its people. "The bishops may not have much power in worldly terms," he said, "but their presence in suffering communities means everything. Solidarity heals.”
The Archbishop described a nation deeply scarred. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022, more than 14 million Ukrainians have been displaced. With entire towns reduced to rubble and families scattered across continents, many have no homes to return to. Amid this tragedy, the Church continues to serve not only as a spiritual beacon but also as a source of tangible aid providing food, shelter, medicine, and emotional care.
Archbishop Gudziak stressed the psychological toll of the war. Over 10 million people are expected to suffer from post-traumatic stress, prompting the Church to train priests in trauma care. Children have been hit particularly hard, with some having lost up to five years of schooling. In response, the Church is organizing camps and educational outreach, especially for orphans and refugees.
Recently, the bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church gathered in Rome for their annual Synod. While episcopal appointments and ecclesial matters were on the agenda, this year’s primary focus was pastoral care in wartime. With over 350,000 Ukrainian war refugees arriving in the United States and tens of thousands more scattered across Europe, the Church is adapting to meet the unique spiritual and practical needs of a dispersed people.
“We must accompany our people not just where they were, but where they are now,” Archbishop Gudziak said. He introduced the concept of a "Church in a backpack" a mobile, flexible Church that reaches people regardless of buildings or borders. “We had a vibrant Church in Paris with no building just borrowed space and a committed community,” he recalled. That same spirit now guides his work across the U.S., where a new migrant outreach office offers food, clothing, education support, and job training.
Archbishop Gudziak also addressed the generational shift caused by war and modernity. Today’s Ukrainian youth, shaped by digital culture and global influences, often feel more connected to peers in London or Seoul than to their elders. The Church, he said, must find fresh ways to speak to them without losing the heart of the Gospel.
As Ukraine faces an intensifying storm new drone strikes now numbering in the hundreds per day the Archbishop’s message is clear and heartfelt: “Pray. Stand with us. Truth and justice will prevail not through violence, but through faith, compassion, and unity.”
In war zones where churches have been razed and worship outlawed, Archbishop Gudziak sees something miraculous: the courage of believers who continue to gather in secret, the persistence of
faith when every worldly comfort is gone. “These acts,” he says, “are signs of God's enduring presence.”
In a time of overwhelming darkness, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church walks the Way of the Cross with its people quietly, faithfully, and unshakably.