Roman Catholicism in Ukraine: The Contemporary Situation, Social Acceptance, and Social Service

This article investigates the historical peculiarities of the formation and specificity of the current stage of development of Catholicism in Ukraine. It considers the spiritual, socio-cultural, economic, and political prerequisites for the resumption of the activity of the Roman Catholic Church during the revival of Ukraine\u27s independence in the 1990s. A quantitative comparison of dioceses since the end of the last century has been undertaken and their patterns of growth have been identified. The main achievements of the largest Catholic churches in the country since Ukrainian independence have consisted in building its ecclesiastical structures and expanding its community networks and active social service. This has resulted in a positive trend of increasing awareness and confidence among the Ukrainian citizens in Catholic institutions, their leaders, and Catholicism in general. Various aspects of the “Vatican\u27s Eastern Policy” and its implications for the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church are also examined, as well as problems and prospects for further integration of the Roman Catholic identity into the spiritual space of Ukrainian society. The main contours of the institutional Catholic response to the current crisis situations in Ukrainian society are outlined, including the war in the East of the country, family problems, poverty, existence of socially vulnerable groups of people, despair, and so forth