Patriarch Sviatoslav Greets Ukrainians on Easter

"In this year’s celebration of the Lord’s Easter, we, the faithful of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, are called to re-discover for ourselves again and again the resurrected Christ as the unshakeable rock of unity of our nation. As we celebrate today the victory of our Savior over death, let us destroy by the light of his resurrection all the divisions and hostility, whether visible or invisible, which divide our society in its civil and Church life. The Divine Saviour warns us: 'Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined' (Mat. 12: 25).

"The resurrected Christ in his body overcame the confrontations, disagreements and contradictions which threaten a person, nations and the whole mankind. He seeks to bring peace and unity also to our nation. However, we must open up our hands to accept this gift from the hands of the Resurrected Savior. To open up the hands means to get rid of our own ambitions, selfishness, self-interest, make the good of our nation a priority over our own interests or those of the political parties, be prepared to meet our neighbour halfway as far as the general good is concerned.

"A believing person illuminated with the light of Christ’s resurrection cannot look at another person through the prism of hatred or revenge but is prepared to forgive even an enemy and be reconciled with him. Whoever is not able to forgive, that person has not understood the great message brought to us by the Savior from his grave, the message of unity and peace,” noted Patriarch Sviatoslav in his Easter address.