7-9 July: Church commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the tragic events in Volhynia
Church commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the tragic events in Volhynia will be held on 7-9 July in Poland and Ukraine. Representatives from the Catholic Church in Poland, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, and the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine will be in attendance. A statement on forgiveness and reconciliation will be signed jointly during the ceremony.
On Friday, 7 July, a special Liturgy of the Word will be held at 11 a.m. in the Archcathedral of St. John the Baptist in Warsaw, attended by Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki, President of the Polish Bishops’ Conference and Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Major Archbishop of Kyiv-Halych, head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. A joint statement will be signed during the Service.
Following the ceremonies at the arch-cathedral, there will be a press conference at the Warsaw Archbishops’ House. Archbishop Stanislaw Gądecki and Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk will be in attendance. The Polish-Ukrainian delegation will then embark on a pilgrimage of forgiveness and reconciliation to Ukraine.
On Saturday, 8 July, at 11.00 a.m. local time, the President of the Polish Bishops’ Conference will preside over a Mass in the village of Parośl in Volhynia, the site of the martyrdom of Poles.
On Sunday, 9 July, at 11.00 a.m. local time, Mass will be celebrated in the Cathedral of Saints Apostles Peter and Paul in Lutsk. The Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, will preside over the Eucharist to Ukraine. The Eucharist will be attended by the Polish Bishops’ Conference President and by the Greek Catholic Church representatives from Poland and Ukraine.
Press Office of the Polish Bishops’ Conference
Translated by Sr. Ewa Dobrzelecka / Office for Foreign Communication of the Polish Bishops’ Conference
