UGCC declares February 24 the Day of Prayer and Fasting for cessation of war and a just peace

At 9:00 AM Kyiv time on February 24, a live broadcast will commence a 12-hour marathon of continuous communal prayer by the Church. This announcement was made by Patriarch Sviatoslav in a video statement during the 105th week of the war, as reported by the UGCC Information Department.

This initiative coincides with the 10th anniversary of the Russian war against Ukraine and the second anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Russian troops into Ukrainian territory.

In his address, the Head of the UGCC emphasized witnessing firsthand what was once only read about in books or heard at various international conferences—the genocide of the Ukrainian people.

"We have been confronted with a horrifying reality," believes the spiritual leader of the UGCC, "the war has wounded the very heart of Ukrainian society—families, primarily forcing many family members to live in forced separation. In addition, we have noticed that new categories of families have emerged in our country. Approximately 200,000 Ukrainian families have a severely wounded person: a son, father, husband, or child, 35,000 have a missing loved one, and another 50,000 have a family member who is missing a limb."

"All of this burden falls heavily on the shoulders of families," notes the Head of the UGCC with sadness, "so our Church today embraces a new form of ministry, which can be called pastoral care for grieving people who do not know how to rebuild their lives."

"It is very important that the world hears about Ukraine's pain and condemns the genocide of the Ukrainian people committed by Russia on these sad anniversaries. Our strength in these circumstances is prayer," reassures His Beatitude Sviatoslav.