UGCC: In 1596 we united with Rome as the country was seized by Protestants
The leader of the Ukrainian Uniates Sviatoslav Shevchuk said how his predecessors were looking for their place after the fall of Constantinople.
"In 1596, after the fall of Constantinople, our bishops sought a broader communion because our lands were taken over by many Protestant groups," The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Sviatoslav Shevchuk said this in an interview published in the Brazilian newspaper “Gazeta do Povo”.
Stressing that the Uniates received their faith and canonical succession from Constantinople, Shevchuk noted that after the "sad division between Constantinople and Rome" Kiev was kept out of this conflict for a long time, but "for us, it was not such a clear division".
“So, in 1596, after the fall of Constantinople, our bishops sought a broader communion, because our lands were taken over by many Protestant groups. Trying to find their place in this new situation after the Tridentine Council, they decided to enter into communion with Rome,” explained the head of the UGCC.
It is noteworthy that on the official website of the UGCC there is no Ukrainian translation of Shevchuk's interview and only its English version is presented.
The UOJ also wrote that Sviatoslav Shevchuk called the Brest Union the model of unity between Orthodox and Catholics, which may be interesting today.
