The University of St. Michael’s College has awarded Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Major Archbishop of Kyiv-Halych and Primate of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, an honorary degree in recognition of his ongoing witness in the heart of war-torn Ukraine and his commitment to theological education.
Citing the Archbishop’s transformative leadership, his ministry of presence to Ukrainians and his courage in the face of an unjust war, St. Michael’s President David Sylvester noted that Shevchuk’s commitment to the Church reflects the value St. Michael’s places on serving the Church and society in promoting respectful dialogue and action on care for our common home and solidarity with the human family, while elevating the dignity of all.
Shevchuk received his degree, a Doctor of Divinity (honoris causa), while in Toronto for a synod of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. The ceremony took place in St. Michael’s Charbonnel Lounge, and the degree was conferred by the university’s chancellor, Toronto’s Cardinal Frank Leo.
Shevchuk was born in Striyj, L’viv region, in 1970. His family was forced to practise their faith clandestinely due to persecution of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. While studying medicine, he also secretly attended an underground theological academy from 1983 to 1989 in preparation for the priesthood. He completed his doctorate in Theological Anthropology in the Byzantine Christian Tradition at Rome’s Pontifical University “Angelicum” in 1999.
Appointed to the L’viv Theological Academy, he became chair of the theology department and later rector of Holy Spirit Seminary. In 2009, he was named the auxiliary bishop for the Ukrainian Catholics in Buenos Aires, Argentina and a year later apostolic administrator. During this time, he developed a close friendship with, and was mentored by, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, now Pope Francis. In 2011, Shevchuk was elected head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
Archbishop Shevchuk’s ministry embodies the values of inter-confessional and inter-religious dialogue as advocated in Fratelli Tutti. Religious pluralism is one of the key features of modern Ukraine, demonstrated via the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (UCCRO), an interconfessional group that includes Roman Catholic, Eastern Catholic, Orthodox, Evangelical Protestant, Jewish and Muslim leaders. Shevchuk led a UCCRO delegation to Rome to dialogue with Pope Francis about possibilities for peace in Ukraine.
Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022–an intensification of ongoing military violence since 2014–the archbishop has served as a global leader, advocating for peace and supporting beleaguered Ukrainians while offering a ministry of presence. He has remained in Kyiv, residing below the Patriarchal Cathedral, where he intercedes daily in prayers for peace. Since the beginning of the war, he has offered regular video sermons on social media platforms to support those he serves.
The archbishop has made continued public remarks about the devastation of entire cities and villages throughout Ukraine, mobilizing the international community to provide international aid to attend to both the humanitarian as well as ecological catastrophes brought about by war.
Since 1969 the University of St. Michael’s College has awarded honorary degrees as its highest honour, bestowing doctorates on individuals whose achievements embody or advance St. Michael’s mission, vision, and values as a Catholic institution of higher learning.