“The ruthless will vanish, the mockers will disappear, and all who have an eye for evil will be cut down,” Bishop Bohdan Dziurach about Ukrainian prisoners in Russian captivity

The issue of liberation of Ukrainian prisoners from Russian captivity was raised by the hierarchs at Permanent Synod during the visit to Rome. Apostolic capital assured that it insistently appealed to the Russian authorities about the liberation of prisoners, especially of Nadiya Savchenko, who went on a dry hunger strike during the bishops’ visit to Rome.

Bishop Bohdan Dziurach, Secretary of the Synod of Bishops, said it in a comment to the Information Department of the UGCC answering a question about the liberation of prisoners from Russian captivity.

“Providing spiritual care to our people in their pilgrimage to dignity and freedom, we cover with our prayer not only the soldiers who risk their lives to protect their homeland. We keep in memory the fate of dozens of captives, sons and daughters of the Ukrainian people, who are subject to harassment and abuse in Russian captivity. Nadiya Savchenko became a symbol of strength of their spirit and unbending will, whose reprisal the enemy disguises with a unfair trial. In the face of the whole civilized world the aggressor is trying to break the inner strength and dignity of our homeland defenders,” said Bishop Bohdan.

Secretary of the Bishops' Synod expressed belief that “God's truth will pave its way through human malice and hatred, and we will witness the realization of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “the ruthless will vanish, the mockers will disappear, and all who have an eye for evil will be cut down.”

Bishop Bohdan expressed his support to all human rights defenders and civil society organizations and all people of good will in Ukraine and across the world who sympathize with the plight of our prisoners and are making all possible efforts for their release.

“We urge the clergy and faithful of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church to continue their fervent prayer for peace in our country, for protection of the native land from Russian aggressors and liberation of Nadiya Savchenko and other Ukrainian prisoners,” the Secretary of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC said.