UGCC Synod of Bishops reaches out to Ukrainians with a pastoral speech on patriotism
According to the Department of information of the UGCC, the main source for bishops' reflections was the Word of God and the teachings of the Church Fathers, in particular, metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky and patriarch Joseph The Blind.
The bishops addressed their message to all Ukrainians, regardless of their religious and confessional affiliation, as well as to people of other nationalities who live in Ukraine and love it as their native land.
The bishops of the UGCC called for thinking about the meaning of existence and historical tasks of our people, thinking about the motherland as our common value and shrine, about our attitude to friends and enemies of our country, and about the development of the future of Ukraine.
The bishops noted that patriotism is one of the manifestations of the main commandment — to love your neighbor as yourself. Derived from the Latin "pater", meaning "father", the word "patriotism" should help us realize that our earthly homeland was given to us by God the father.
