Church Leaders' Easter Messages to Ukrainians

In the last days of Lent the Primates and senior bishops of the Ukrainian Churches turned to the faithful and the clergy with messages dedicated to the feast of Christ's resurrection. Almost in every greeting the spiritual leaders mentioned war and encourage people that the Lord must grant us victory.

"Now comes salvation to the world because Christ has risen as All-Mighty."

Celebrating Easter during war is being able to see the risen Christ in our victory today. It should primarily take place in our souls and fill the heart of anyone who truly believes that Christ is risen indeed! This belief in the victory of the Risen allows those on the front line to face death and confidently and courageously defend their land.

This is the power of the Risen that enables us to stand against the hatred of those who let themselves be deceived by insatiable imperial ideology of lie and violence. This victory of Christ as the Truth Resurrected is the success of anyone who speaks and shows the truth about what is happening in Ukraine. This truth of Christ allows everyone who considers himself his disciple to be a true apostle of peace and love evangelism.

I’m sending my heartfelt holiday greetings to all of you who resides Ukraine and in the diaspora. I sincerely wish you the blessings of the Holy Resurrection, tasty blessed Easter eggs and ligtsome Easter joy!” said UGCC Patriarch Sviatoslav (Shevchuk) in his message.

Patriarch Filaret (Denisenko) has not ignored the theme of war in his Paschal greeting:

“This year Ukraine celebrates the Resurrection of Christ under circumstances of an undeclared war in Donbas. But we firmly believe that soon the Lord will send us victory over the aggressor, for where the truth is, there are God and victory. This year marks the 1000th anniversary of repose of our educator – the Holy and Equal to the Apostles Prince Volodymyr. Ukraine will be celebrating this anniversary nationwide.

Dear brothers and sisters! I cordially congratulate you on the occasion of the feast of Resurrection. I send my Easter greetings to President of Ukraine Poroshenko, Ukrainian Parliament and government, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, all the defenders of our country, all Christians of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. I congratulate Ukrainians in all countries on all continents on the luminous holiday.

Celebrating Easter, the Church calls us to live in peace, love, in all piety and chastity, work diligently to serve others, all Ukrainian people and Ukrainian state, so that on the day of our own resurrection we were worthy of eternal joy of the Risen Lord, to whom be glory, honor and worship of the Father and the Holy Spirit forever and ever.”

"Living on the Ukrainian land, we, devoted Ukrainians and people of other nationalities, suffer because of turbulent present, and these sufferings especially affect those families whose fathers, brothers and sons, having sacrifices their young lives, shed blood for us and for their families, homeland and country ... We can be proud for our Ukrainian people who genuinely help the army, we can be proud for the heroic Ukrainian Church and volunteers, as the service to one’s neighbor is not futile. The one who started the war with Ukraine, disregarded the fact that Ukrainians will join together and will sympathize with neighbors and will sacrifice their lives, as did the heroes of the Heaven’s Hundred and thousands heroes of Maidan did during Putin's senseless war. All this only hardens us, Ukrainians who believe in God .

I appeal to all parents, wives and children who lost their loved ones in the struggle for our independence: those deceased and killed will have the blissful life of the Risen Lord, because our future will not only help forget sorrows, but also inspire to bless this past as a way to joy and happiness. This confidence will finally reconcile our thoughts with the suffering on this earth,» said  locum tenens  of the Primate’s Throne of the UAOC metropolitan Makariy Maletych.

Lviv Metropolitan Archbishop Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki of the RCC wished that the shining of Jesus dispelled the twilight of our time and gave us strengthens confidence that God lives and stays with us for ages until the end of the world.

"Let us intensify our prayers for peace in Ukraine, for the insight of the deceived and mercy to all who labor and are heavy laden. Therefore we encourage each local church to prayer and fasting for three days before Easter: Thursday, Friday and Saturday (from 9 to 11 April).

Let us be firm and steadfast, working for our salvation with courage and dedication, because all the evil and sorrow of the world, hatred and death has been overcome by the power of Christ's Resurrection - because He has defeated the evil one! Let our lives be proof that Christ is Risen!”  goes the greeting message of the heads of Evangelical Baptist Union of Ukraine