Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) is an Eastern rite Catholic church. As of the mid-2020s, the universal Catholic church is made up of twenty-four different churches. The largest and most well-known of these is the Latin Church, sometimes referred to as Roman Catholic or the Western Church. The other twenty-three churches are all Eastern rite Catholic churches, of which the UGCC is one. Each of these churches has different traditions, liturgies, and hierarchies, even though all the churches are in communion with Rome, meaning the pope in Rome is their spiritual leader. The UGCC uses the Byzantine rite, which is a rite whose origins can be traced back to the ancient city of Byzantium, which later became Constantinople and then Istanbul.

The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church does not actually have any connection to Greece. Empress Maria Theresa of the Austro-Hungarian Empire designated all Catholics who used the Byzantine liturgy as Greek Catholics in 1774. According to the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA), the UGCC had approximately 5.5 million members around the world in 2025, making it the largest of the Eastern rite Catholic churches, with members in Europe, North America, South America, Australia, and Canada.

History

Christianity first arrived in Ukraine in 988 when Prince Vladimir the Great—the ruler of the country then called Kyivan Rus—established Christianity as the national religion. At that time, nearly all Christians were part of one church that was led by the pope in Rome. Over time, however, the church centered in Rome and the church centered in Constantinople grew different from each other, in part due to the physical distance and language differences between them. In the eleventh century, the church of Rome and the church of Constantinople severed ties with one another in what became known as the Great Schism (or the East-West Schism). The followers of the church of Constantinople became known as Orthodox Catholics.

In the 1500s, many Orthodox Catholics living in Eastern Europe were persecuted by Protestants and other Catholics. This eventually led to some Orthodox Catholics signing the Union of Brest-Litovsk in 1596. This act effectively split these Catholics from the leader of the church in Constantinople and united them with the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, the pope. The signing of the Union of Brest effectively created the modern UGCC. Even after the UGCC was created, some Eastern Catholics who were aligned with the Roman Catholic Church were persecuted by Orthodox Catholics.

In the twentieth century, the area that is now Ukraine became part of the Soviet Union. The Soviets did not believe in religion and severely limited its practice. Those who practiced religion were often persecuted by the Soviet rulers, and by 1945 nearly all the Ukrainian Catholic bishops were arrested or killed. The Soviets forcibly united the UGCC with the Russian Orthodox Church after World War II. Although the Soviets attempted to eliminate the UGCC, some faithful continued to worship underground. Some members of the UGCC fled Europe and moved to the United States and Canada, bringing their religious traditions with them. In the 1990s, the UGCC reemerged in the public eye.

Although Ukraine is now an independent country and people can worship freely, the effects of Soviet rule are still apparent, and tensions were further ignited when, in 2014, Russia forcibly annexed Crimea. After rival Orthodox churches within Ukraine came together to form the Orthodox Church of Ukraine independent of the Moscow Patriarchate in 2018, the major archbishop of the UGCC expressed his support of the significant move as beneficial to the country's progress. In February 2022, Russian forces invaded Ukraine, and the conflict continued into the mid-2020s, with Russian forces occupying parts of Ukraine. Throughout the conflict, and while facing persecution, the UGCC provided spiritual and humanitarian support to the Ukrainian people.

Beliefs

The beliefs of the UGCC are similar to, but not the same as, the beliefs of other Catholic traditions. The UGCC and all other Catholic faiths believe that a singular God is made up of three beings: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They also believe that Jesus was both human and divine at the same time, and he died to atone for humanity's sins. A few of the beliefs held by the UGCC and other Eastern Catholic churches differ from the beliefs and practices of the Latin Church. For example, the UGCC does not use the word purgatory, though its followers believe that a place similar to Latin Catholics' idea of purgatory exists. Furthermore, priests in the UGCC may be married, but priests in the Latin Church must remain single and celibate.

The Eastern Catholic churches also recognize a different set of laws than the Latin Church. The Eastern Catholic churches, including the UGCC, are ruled by the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. The purpose of this code is to unite the beliefs of members of the same faith, no matter where they live or what language they speak. The code includes seven books to guide members of the faith: General Norms, People of God, Teaching Office, Sanctifying Office, Temporal Goods, Sanctions, and Procedures.

Organization

The spiritual leader of the UGCC is the pope, who is stationed in the Vatican in Italy. The UGCC has its own hierarchy of other leaders who are subject to approval by the pope. The hierarchy of the UGCC is made up of bishops and archbishops. Priests and women are also part of the UGCC hierarchy. The everyday people who are members of the church are known as the laity.

Much like the Latin Church, the UGCC has different religious orders that men and women can join. Religious orders are organizations within a religion that people join to separate themselves from society to practice a specific religious devotion. The UGCC has several religious orders and monastic communities that men and women can join, respectively.

Bibliography

Christian, Gina. “Russian Forces Destroy Catholic Church in Ukraine, as Another Parish Prepares for Attack.” Catholic Review, 13 Aug. 2024, catholicreview.org/russian-forces-destroy-catholic-church-in-ukraine-as-another-parish-prepares-for-attack. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.

Fortescue, Adrian. "Eastern Churches." New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia, www.newadvent.org/cathen/05230a.htm. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.

Fortescue, Adrian. "The Eastern Schism." New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia, www.newadvent.org/cathen/13535a.htm. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.

Fortescue, Adrian. "Orthodox Church." New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia, www.newadvent.org/cathen/11329a.htm. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.

Luxmoore, Jonathan. "Ukrainian Catholic Leader Welcomes Head of New Independent Orthodox Church." National Catholic Reporter, 18 Dec. 2018, www.ncronline.org/news/quick-reads/ukrainian-catholic-leader-welcomes-head-new-independent-orthodox-church. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.

“Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.” Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God Parish and District, dormition.eeparchy.com/ukrainian-greek-catholic-church. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.

"What is the Ukrainian Catholic Church?" Immaculate Conception Ukrainian Catholic Church, www.byzcath.org/ImmaculateConception/ukrainian.htm. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.