Pope Francis has expressed “deep sorrow” upon learning of the death of Yuriy Shevchuk the father of Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Shevchuk passed away on 5 December at the age of 79 offering my sincere condolences and assuring you that my heart is with you and with those who mourn the passing of dear Mr Yuriy,” the Pope wrote in a message addressed to the Major Archbishop of Kyiv-Halyč He closed the message by entrusting the soul of his beloved father the Mercy of God while praying that He grant him the grace of eternal peace where he worked for the National Rail Service and participated in the underground activities of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church which had been banned from the Soviet Union by Stalin Major Archbishop Shevchuk has recounted that in this context he met Father Mykhailo Kosyl the rector of the underground theological seminary in the Frankivsk region who played a major role  in his priestly vocation Speaking last week in Kyiv to a group of journalists visiting Ukraine with the Polish and Ukrainian Embassies to the Holy See he remembered his father as a good man and explained that he was sadly unable to attend his funeral in the United States where he had been treated for his illness Major Archbishop Shevchuk has already lost his mother Vera Thank you for reading our article. You can keep up-to-date by subscribing to our daily newsletter. Just click here Imagine a six-week expedition through the forest just exploring You’d look forward to seeing the surrounding tall trees leaves dancing and swaying to the gentle breeze the smell of the forest and crunch of leaves as they give way to exploration deeper into the forestside while spotting rare animals marvelling at the rich biodiversity found in natural forests loss and devastation was also witnessed  by the team of Greenpeace CEE volunteers staff and activists who embarked on an adventurous journey over five countries through the Carpathian mountains The Carpathian mountain range is rich in ecological value and spans through Central Europe. The expedition team dubbed Mobile Rescue Station (MRS) had stops in Romania, Ukraine, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland with one mission in mind; to bring the story of the lack of protection of old growth forests in the Carpathian region to the limelight taking into account all European commitments and obligations included in the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030 and Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework European Union should have one of the most progressive and systems of nature protection (with a special focus on the protection of all EU’s remaining old-growth forests and in the world the team explored a old-growth forest with the Threatened Ancient Forests (TAF) designation where the ominous presence of logging roads threatens to shatter the untouched tranquillity of this precious ecosystem the team had a shocking finding: European companies are complicit in the destruction of old growth forests the timber from which is sold throughout the European Union This has a devastating impact on the Carpathian wilderness the expeditioners were confronted with cleared hillsides in a national park and Natura 2000 area 45% of Hungary’s forests are protected in theory but in reality only 5.6% of them are managed by national parks for nature conservation.  the journey continued through no-intervention  zones.  showing that forests and biodiversity can regenerate itself if left untouched many places in Tatra mountains salvage cutting and clear cuts are ongoing that threatens the already declining population of capercaillies – the largest bird of all extant grouse species.  the team visited several sites where Polish State Forests are destroying unique natural habitats Greenpeace activists monitored the flow of trucks with timber on one of the roads in Bieszczady Mountains – the wildest part of the Polish Carpathians.  Each and every stop along the region made it clear the Carpathians have to be a priority on an EU level with a cross-country strategy “When I was packing my stuff for the Carpathians expedition one of my friends asked me: “Do you really think that it is possible to win the battle for the Carpathians?” And I am pretty sure that it is possible – we do During those days with the Mobile Rescue Station (MRS) we saw unbelievably beautiful mountains and hundreds of kilometres of logging We saw old forests that should be under protection and tree stumps within a few metres of these We saw pure nature with its inhabitants (even a young owl we were lucky to meet) and how the logging changed this natural environment right before our eyes.” Kateryna Bystrytska Communication officer for Greening Ukraine Reconstruction Project “The most significant part of this deforested site for me was not the huge stumps left behind but the graveyard of downed trees at the edge of the remaining forest We need to return to ancestral views of wood as a valuable and renewable craft/building material that takes artisan work and care as opposed to modern views of wood as simply a cheap export Humans continue to log and exploit our planet for short-term gain without considering the lasting increasing damage that endures decades after we’ve had our fill.” Bethany Our fear and hopelessness can turn into collective action for the planet and biodiversity We can’t let world leaders make empty promises that lead to a road to nowhere Save the Carpathians by adding your name to this petition. Read the Carpathians Report report Safina Okumu is a Content Editor for Greenpeace International, based in Nairobi, Kenya. Follow her on X @SafinaOkumu A firefighter describes the horror of witnessing the Amazon being consumed by wildfires What happens when the world’s biggest meat company brands itself as a climate saviour a mega-corporation making billions while its supply chain sets the Amazon on fire From elusive jaguars and to playful river dolphins every creature from the Amazon relies entirely on the rainforest for food Please select which cookies you are willing to store These cookies are required for technical reasons so that you can visit our website and use the functions we offer These cookies are used to recognise you between successive visits and thus provide you with a better experience storing your consent preferences and the last Greenpeace.org website visited We use tracking and analysis tools to ensure continuous optimisation and demand-oriented design of our website These cookies will allow us to collect statistical and anonymised data such as how visitors use our website or which pages are accessed most frequently to ultimately improve Greenpeace.org and provide you with a better experience of our website In addition to the Performance cookies mentioned above we may also place in your browser cookies from third-party services (e.g Facebook or Google) to track the effectiveness of our online marketing strategies and to deliver adverts more relevant to you and your interests These cookies may also be used to serve advertising to you after you have left our site (retargeting cookies).