Pope Leo XIV receives Ukrainian ‘Eyes of War’ album and symbolic embroidered shirt

The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church’s Youth Pastoral Ministry Forum was held in Rome this week and concluded with an audience with Pope Leo XIV. Demush, deputy head of the UGCC Patriarchal Commission for Youth Affairs, presented the leader of the Catholic Church with two special gifts on behalf of Ukrainian youth — an embroidered shirt by a Ukrainian brand and Eyes of War, a photo album by photographers Kostiantyn and Vlada Liberov, who document Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The embroidered shirt by Ukrainian brand KOLLOS carries special symbolism. Called Tree of Ukraine, it symbolizes unity. Each Ukrainian Oblast is embroidered on the shirt. Together, they form a single ornamental design that comes together as one whole — the Ukrainian state, the brand said.

“Our land. Our roots. Our shared history,” the shirt’s description reads.

Eyes of War is a documentary photography project by Kostiantyn and Vlada Liberov, who have documented the war since the start of the full-scale invasion. Published in 2026, the book contains 280 photographs taken by the Liberovs from 2022 to 2025.