Stanisław Szyrokoradiuk

Stanislav Shyrokoradiuk, O.F.M. (, pol. Stanisław Szyrokoradiuk; born 23 June 1956) is a Ukrainian prelate of the Catholic Church who became Bishop of Odesa-Simferopol since February 2020 after a year as Coadjutor Bishop there. He was Bishop of Kharkiv-Zaporizhzhia from 2014 to 2019 and Auxiliary Bishop of Roman Catholic Diocese of Kyiv-Zhytomyr from 1994 to 2014.

Life Shyrokoradiuk was born into a Polish Roman-Catholic family in Kornachivka (Kornaczówka), Yarmolyntsi Raion, Khmelnytskyi Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, on 23 June 1956. He graduated from a railway college in Zdolbuniv, performed his compulsory service in the Soviet Army from 1974 to 1976, and worked in factories.

On 26 November 1994, Pope John Paul II appointed him Auxiliary Bishop of Zhytomy (The Diocese of Zhytomyr became the Diocese of Kyiv-Zhytomyr on 25 November 1998.)

From 1996 to 2016 he was national director of Caritas-Spes Ukraine. He was also Apostolic Administrator of Kharkiv-Zaporizhzhia from 2 February 2019

On 2 February 2019, Pope Francis appointed him Bishop Coadjutor of Odesa-Simferopol and on 18 February 2020 he became bishop there.

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine As Catholic bishop of Odesa, Shyrokoradiuk found his diocese heavily affected by the war and spoke out against the Russian invasion. Under his direction the Church helped provide humanitarian assistance and places of safety for refugees and children. The diocese also organised spiritual support for its flock: "we pray daily for peace. It’s important to us to pray for everyone, but especially for those who have died. Every day we celebrate a Mass with a requiem for all those who have died, including the fallen soldiers and all war victims".

During an online conference with Aid to the Church in Need, the bishop claimed that both Russians and Ukrainians were victims in the war, each in their own way. "We Ukrainians are the victims of the war; the Russian people are the victims of propaganda. I hope that their eyes will be opened, so that peace can come."