On September 27, His Beatitude Sviatoslav arrived in Vilnius for an official visit. At the airport, priests and parishioners of the Basilian Church of the Holy Trinity welcomed the Head of the UGCC. Official events are taking place in Vilnius to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the martyrdom of St. Josaphat. In front of the miraculous and most revered icon in Lithuania, the Our Lady of Ostra Brama, the Head of the UGCC, celebrated the Liturgy.
This is reported by the Information Department of the UGCC.
According to him, Ostra Brama Gate is a place where the past, present, and future intersect in a special way.
The Our Lady of Ostra Brama and even the name of the gate are associated with the name of Kostiantyn Of Ostroh, who built the Monastery of the Holy Trinity in Vilnius. The fortification and spiritual complex in this city were erected in honor of the unique victory of the joint forces of Ukrainians, Lithuanians, and Poles over the Russian army in the Battle of Orsha, which took place in 1514 under the leadership of Kostiantyn of Ostroh.
"We see that when three nations come together and invoke God for help, then we are strong and invincible... And we observe this wonderful, glorious past in this holy place," the Head of the UGCC noted.
The Primate emphasized that today it is crucial to pray in this place for Ukraine's victory in the war, which is the "greatest global tragedy" and began not in 2022 but in 2014, the 500th anniversary of Kostiantyn of Ostroh's victory.
"We need, so much, not to be alone again in this struggle. Our future meeting with the Lithuanian authorities and the Lithuanian community aims to unite this unity of European nations in a difficult and unequal battle," said the Head of the UGCC. "We believe that just as it happened 500 years ago, today it will happen through the power of great Christian solidarity, a shared sense of what is good and what is evil. And all this will be completed by the power and grace of the Holy Spirit through the prayers of the Most Holy Virgin Mary."
His Beatitude Sviatoslav also noted that near the Our Lady of Ostra Brama icon, they see the future in which they want to see a free, independent Ukraine, Lithuania, Poland, Belarus—all the nations that have come to this place for centuries, praying for a better future for their children. "Today, we ask that the Most Holy Virgin Mary bless all our good intentions so that in unity, Christian solidarity, and prayer, we can complete this great work—the work of triumphing over evil, life over death. And from the good news heard here from the Mother of God, everyone then returned to their homes."