The pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) reported this Friday, June 28, the release of two Ukrainian Greek Catholic priests, who had been captured in November 2022 by the Russian National Guard.
These are priests Ivan Levitsky and Bohdan Geleta, members of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (redemptorists), who had been accused of having committed “subversive” and “guerrilla” activities.
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Priests serving in the Temple of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary were accused of allegedly possessing weapons, ammunition and books on the history of Ukraine in a parish building.
The information about the release, released by María Lozano, press officer of ACN International, has been confirmed by the information department of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
The priests had been arrested on November 16, 2022 in Berdyansk, an area occupied by the Russians. Despite the danger, both had decided to stay to serve the “communities of Roman Catholics and Greek Catholics, to give them hope in the face of the occupation.”
The ACN note also points out that Bishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Major Archbishop in kyiv of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, expressed his “deep gratitude to the Holy See”, particularly to Pope Francis, to the Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin; to the Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, who has carried out various peace missions to try to end the conflict; and to Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine, for his efforts to achieve the freedom of priests.
“Despite the joy of this news, ACN remembers that many innocent civilians remain captive and invites its friends and benefactors to continue praying for their freedom, and for peace in Ukraine,” the note concludes.
On multiple occasions, Pope Francis has encouraged prayer for the “martyred” Ukraine and has urged dialogue to end the conflict.
In his last public intervention on the matter, on Sunday, June 23, he asked the Holy Spirit to “enlighten the minds of the rulers,” later ensuring that “negotiation is needed” to end not only the war in Ukraine, but also in other countries. places in the world like the Holy Land.
Walter Sanchez Silva
I have been a husband since 2008. My wife and I have three children here and one who went to heaven in 2023, before he was born. Since I joined ACI Prensa in 2005, I have had the opportunity to cover various events of the Catholic Church. Among them, the World Youth Days in Cologne, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro and the apostolic trips of Pope Benedict XVI to Mexico and of Pope Francis to South Korea. I have been sent to the Vatican to cover the Family synods, in 2015; of the Amazon, in 2019 and that of Synodality, in 2023. I closely follow the situation of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua, which suffers persecution from the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega, as well as current ecclesiastical events in the region.