Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

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Abstract is: The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC; Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church: Українська греко-католицька церква (УГКЦ), romanized: Ukrayins'ka hreko-katolytska tserkva; Latin: Ecclesia Graeco-Catholica Ucrainae) is an autonomous ritual Eastern Catholic Church that is in full communion with the Holy See and the rest of the Catholic Church. It is the second-largest particular church (sui juris) in the Catholic Church, second only to the Latin Church. As a major archiepiscopal church, it is governed by a Major Archbishop; the incumbent is Sviatoslav Shevchuk. The church is one of the churches that regards itself as a successor to the acceptance of Christianity in the region of Kievan Rus' by Grand Prince Vladimir the Great of Kyiv. The foundation of the Orthodox Church of Rus is traditionally dated to 988 AD. In 1596, by the terms of the Union of Brest, this Rus' or Ruthenian Church changed from the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople to the jurisdiction of the Holy See, thereby forming the Ruthenian Uniate Church. The "Union of Brest" was a treaty between the Ruthenian Orthodox Church in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, under the leadership of the Metropolitan of Kyiv, Galicia and All Ruthenia — Michael III — on one part, and the Latin Church under the leadership of the Pope — Clement VIII — on the other part. Following the partitions of Poland, the eparchies of the "Ruthenian Uniate Church" (Latin: Ecclesia Ruthena unita) were liquidated in the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Only the three eparchies that came under Austrian jurisdiction remained of the Brest Union. In 1963, the church was recognized as Ukrainian through the efforts of Yosyf Slipyi. The ordinary (or hierarch) of the church holds the title of "Major archbishop of Kyiv-Halych and All Ruthenia". The title "Major Archbishop", which was introduced in 1963, is unique within the Catholic Church. However, the hierarchs and faithful of the church acclaim their ordinary as "Patriarch" and have requested Papal recognition of this title. The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church is the largest Eastern Catholic Church in the world. As of 2019, it had approximately 4.1 million members. In Ukraine, the UGCC is the second largest religious organization in terms of number of communities within the Catholic Church. The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church has third most members in allegiance among the population of Ukraine after the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church predominates in three western oblasts of Ukraine, including the majority of the population of Lviv, but constitutes a small minority elsewhere in the country. The church has followed the spread of the Ukrainian diaspora and has some 40 hierarchs in over a dozen countries on four continents, including three other metropolitan bishops in Poland, the United States, and Canada. The Church in the diaspora including the United States and Canada is largely multi-ethnic.

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Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church is …