"Independence of Ukraine did not appear out of thin air. It is the fruit of millennium-long movement of entire generations," - Head of the UGCC
His Beatitude Sviatoslav stressed that the Ukrainian Trident is a sign of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Volodymyr.
"I remember how my grandfather showed me banknotes with the trident of the Ukrainian people's Republic. And on the trident you could decipher the word "will". Our ancestors fought for that freedom in their native land for centuries," the Head of the Church said.
That is why, says the Primate, this year we are celebrating the restoration of Ukrainian statehood. The modern Ukrainian state is the fruit of the movement of entire generations for a millennium.
"They wanted to steal and appropriate our national memory. For many historical moments, we have lived in our native land, but in foreign countries. We have even learned to distrust the state, consider it something alien, hostile and make sure that our private interests do not intersect with state ones. This is our vice, which still haunts us today, "the head of the Church noted and added:" But the truth and historical memory of those 30 years began to come to light incessantly, to win the hearts and minds of Ukrainians. And today we understand that 30 years ago we received the gift of God, for which our ancestors and our predecessors fought for thousands of years."
His Beatitude Sviatoslav named three important points that, in his opinion, should be realized by the 30th anniversary of the restoration of Ukraine's Independence.
First, on the Independence Day of our motherland, it is very important to remember the heroes who gave their lives for the formation, protection and preservation of Ukrainian statehood.
The second extremely important thing is to realize that "this is my state and I am responsible for it." "The source of power in Ukraine is the people. But the people must control the government they choose. The people should be demanding to it and pray for its conversion, if necessary. The people should treat their freedom responsibly because freedom is always associated with responsibility," the Primate stated.
The third important feature of the 30 years of Ukraine's independence is that the shackles fell, the Soviet Union collapsed, we felt free on our land and the borders opened. "20 years ago, the Holy Pope John Paul II appealed to Ukrainians to stay at home. We must develop this state today, we protect it today at the cost of the lives and blood of our defenders, so we especially remember them, pray and thank them. At the same time, today we think about the future, that our state, free Ukraine, should be a European country that returns to the bosom of European peoples and brings with it the light of its history, the light of its sufferings and victories, the light of the Christian faith. This is Ukraine we want to build today, we pray for it and live for it," His Beatitude Sviatoslav emphasized.
The head of the UGCC said that he welcomes the law on the language adopted by the Ukrainian Parliament, and believes that this is one of the key milestones in the construction of our independent state:
"We, Ukrainians, should respect the languages of all peoples living in Ukraine. However, the state policy of supporting, protecting, and promoting the language in Ukraine is one of the key tasks of Ukraine. We have one state language, and it should be present in all spheres of office work, society, politics, and culture, the head of the Church believes. And if it requires separate protection," he adds, "the state should properly work out these mechanisms."
