Metropolitan Borys Gudziak Celebrates Divine Liturgy in Mantua, Italy

On June 26, Metropolitan Borys Gudziak of Philadelphia celebrated a solemn Divine Liturgy in the Basilica of Saint Andrew the Apostle in Mantua, Italy, together with the Bishop of Mantua, Marco Busca.

Metropolitan Borys expressed his gratitude to the Italian community for the longstanding friendship and collaboration between the Diocese of Mantua and the Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) in Lviv. This partnership began in 1999 with a summer language school for Ukrainians to study Italian in a natural linguistic environment. Since then, every summer, Italian parishes and families have welcomed UCU students, helping them overcome language barriers and immerse themselves in Italian culture.

The Liturgy took place in the cathedral’s crypt, where the relic of the Most Precious Blood of Christ is kept. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Bishop of Mantua gifted a portion of this relic to the Ukrainian Catholic University as a sign of solidarity and spiritual support from the Diocese of Mantua.