Why the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church is unique - with Natalia Shlikhta

November 28, 2025
A talk with a Ukrainian historian on the defining features of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

What makes the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church so unique? Why is it such a remarkable attempt to bridge the divide between Eastern and Western Christianity? How can its history help us better understand the history of Europe and of the Christian religion? How has it shaped Ukrainian national identity? And how did it survive the Soviet era, when the authorities sought to eradicate it?


Explaining Ukraine is a podcast by UkraineWorld, an English-language media platform about Ukraine, run by Internews Ukraine.


  • Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher, editor-in-chief of UkraineWorld, and president of PEN Ukraine.
  • Guest: Natalia Shlikhta, a well-known Ukrainian historian and professor at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

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This episode is made in partnership with Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and under the framework of the project "HER-UKR: Challenges and opportunities for EU heritage diplomacy in Ukraine", co-funded by the EU within the ERASMUS+ Jean Monnet Policy Debate action./