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Visit of Pope John Paul II

Його Святість Іван Павло II His Holiness John Paul II paid an Apostolic visit to Ukraine on 23-27 June 2001 at the invitation of the President of Ukraine and bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine. The main sites of the papal visit were the capital city Kyiv, and Lviv (at that time, residence of the head of the UGCC and Archbishop of RCC). In Kyiv, the Pope spoke to leaders of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organisations, pleading for “open, tolerant and honest dialogue”. About 200 thousand people attended the liturgies celebrated by the Pope in Kyiv, and the liturgy in Lviv gathered nearly one and a half million faithful.
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Upon coming to Lviv, the Pope blessed the Ukrainian Catholic University on 26 June 2001..
This visit from the Holy Father was a time of hard work for the staff of IRS. Before the visit, the Institute served as the press centre for journalists. As the leading expert on the meaning of the Pope’s visit to Ukraine, the religious situation in Ukraine, and ecumenical relations, Myroslav Marynovych gave numerous interviews. In May 2001, upon invitation of the Pontifical Gregorian and Papal Oriental institute, Mr Marynovych delivered reports in Rome.

Before the visit, the Institute of Religion and Society was commissioned to organize the Papal Text Service in Ukraine (in Kyiv and Lviv). At the end of the visit this Service received a letter of thanks from Joachim Navarro-Vals, press secretary of the Vatican