Today we celebrate the birthday of Taras Shevchenko, the prophet of the Ukrainian people. On this day I especially like his words about destiny… His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church said in his daily military address.
The Head of the UGCC added that Shevchenko's words always helped him to regain strength and thus realize God's plan for our people. "May these words about the march to glory be a light of hope for our Ukraine today!", said the Head of the Church.
Today, March 9, 2022, we are experiencing the 14th day of a violent, inhuman, brutal war. "In this war we see that civilians are becoming the main victims. Residents of towns and villages, defenseless people, women, children, and the elderly suffer the most,” the Head of the Church said with sorrow.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav noted that the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, which unite 95 percent of the entire religious community of Ukraine, representatives of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, Protestant communities, Jewish and Muslim religious organizations, raise its voice in defense of innocent civilians.
Yesterday, the AUCCRO upheld a special appeal to the world community, in which representatives of the Council of Churches tell how the aggressor violates the international humanitarian rules of war.
“Civilians are becoming the main victim of this aggression… Under the bombs, our spiritual heritage is being destroyed. Temples, our spiritual, cultural values… They kill priests, volunteers, all those who are trying to alleviate the suffering of the Ukrainian people, who are bleeding,” he said.
The Head of the Church called on sons and daughters of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church to treat the representatives of other Churches and religious organizations with an open heart, since in the unity of such a disaster the Ukrainian Church is being forged - unity in serving to the suffering people.
According to His Beatitude Sviatoslav, all communities and parishes of the UGCC are becoming centers of social service.
“Where there is war, where bombs are falling - in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Mykolayiv. We are trying to do everything, on the one hand, to save the civilians, and on the other - to deliver humanitarian aid, provide our people with food, medicine, those who need to be taken out of the war zone”, he told.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav said that in the coming days, together with Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, he will visit centers for the salvation of the civilian population, so that one can truly feel the Holy Father's closeness to the suffering of the Ukrainian people.