Ukrainians bring great hope to the whole world, ― American Archbishop Timothy Brolio in UCU

29.12.2022, 10:20

"You may not see this in Ukraine, but today Ukrainians are bringing immense hope to the whole world! Your nation has united and responded to this unfair invasion of Russia. In your rebuff, we see hope for the future," Archbishop Timothy Brolio, who heads the military chaplaincy in the United States and is president of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States of America (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops), said this during a visit to the Ukrainian Catholic University.

Solidarity and support visit to Lviv was held on December 27-28, according to RISU.

On the first day, according to the UCU Information Department, the Archbishop met with the leadership of the Ukrainian Catholic University and visited the university campus of UCU.

Ukrainians bring great hope to the whole world, ― American Archbishop Timothy Brolio in UCU_1 — *Archbishop Timothy Brolio and UCU representatives on campus tours*

"Thank you for the opportunity to visit Ukraine and the Ukrainian Catholic University during this difficult time. I pray every day for peace, for those who suffer, who gave their lives for freedom. And I want to encourage students to study in good faith so that they can build a country that will serve the people who live on this land. We need good tools to build a just society," the archbishop noted during his visit to UCU.

Ukrainians bring great hope to the whole world, ― American Archbishop Timothy Brolio in UCU_2 — During a tour of the University's campus, the archbishop was approached by military officer Sashko Lenevych, lieutenant of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who is currently on rotation leave, and asked for a blessing

On December 28, together with Father Rector Bohdan Prakh, Archbishop Brolio visited the Garrison Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, where he met with Ukrainian military chaplains. Some of them have just returned from the front line. Archbishop Brolio noted that one of the missions of military chaplains is to respond to the needs of those who are currently on the front line: "We must take care of the people who are currently fighting. When I became a chaplain in 2008, I realized that my mission was to serve the men and women affected by the war in the United States. However, there is a significant difference between the war in America and the war in Ukraine. Our war was far away from us, in Iraq and Afghanistan. Only about 1% of the population was involved. This is an advantage but also a problem. Much military personnel felt that the US population was not interested in this war. Unfortunately, here the war is taking place in your native land. My visit is a visit of solidarity and support."

Ukrainians bring great hope to the whole world, ― American Archbishop Timothy Brolio in UCU_3 — *In the Garrison Church of the Holy Apostles, Peter and Paul*

Archbishop Timothy Brolio and Bishop Volodymyr Grutsa concelebrated in the garrison church during the funeral service of three Ukrainian soldiers who died in the war against the Russian occupier.

Ukrainians bring great hope to the whole world, ― American Archbishop Timothy Brolio in UCU_4 — *During the funeral ceremony of three Ukrainian soldiers who died in the war against the Russian occupier*

During his funeral ceremony speech, the Archbishop expressed his condolences to the victims' families and friends: "Remember that we all share your pain and loss. I also convey my condolences to the entire Ukrainian people, the servicemen of Ukraine who lost three of their colleagues. As Christians, we believe death is only a transition to eternal life. We try to find solace and solace in this hope. It is very difficult to survive the loss of the young people you love. But I hope that in these difficult moments of your life, the hope of Eternity will help you survive this time."

Timothy Brolio also noted that he hopes the fallen soldiers' death will not be in vain: "It gives us hope for the future. We are sincerely grateful to the defenders for their sacrifice for their country and for all of us. We pray peace will reign in Ukraine and other parts of the world. Once again, on behalf of all the Catholics of the United States of America, I extend my sincere condolences to all of you. We must continue to live in hope."

Ukrainians bring great hope to the whole world, ― American Archbishop Timothy Brolio in UCU_5 During the meeting with the military chaplains, the rector of the Garrison Church, Father Taras Mikhalchuk, told the archbishop the stories of Maidan hero Bohdan Solchanik, a UCU teacher who died during the revolutions of dignity, and Vasyl Slipak, a world-famous opera performer who died in the war on June 29, 2016. Ukrainians bring great hope to the whole world, ― American Archbishop Timothy Brolio in UCU_6 Timothy Brolio also shared with the chaplains the story of his visit to a hospital in Latvia, where he met with several Ukrainian soldiers who are undergoing rehabilitation there: "I was very moved by the conversation with Ukrainian soldiers because they expressed a desire and willingness to return to the front line to continue defending Ukraine. Most of them are very young guys. It is terrible that the lifeblood of a nation either wastes the time of its youth to fight or dies. But you and I must continue our work as ministers of the Church who are called to support these people. We must be with those men and women who serve on the front line, physically or mentally. I want to assure you, on behalf of all the bishops of the United States, that we will continue to pray for all of you. And we sincerely hope that peace will soon reign in Ukraine."

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