“The city of Mariupol is covered with the lifeless bodies of hundreds, thousands of people who no longer have anyone to bury. Thus today I want to raise my voice on behalf of this heroic, dying city: let us save it! Let us protect life!”
His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Father, and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church said in his daily address on March 24.
He noted that today is precisely a month since this terrible war against Ukraine and the Ukrainian people began. This war, which we call the Patriotic War, has already taken so many lives, brought so much destruction and devastation.
The Primate told that those days he had to visit our wounded defenders, to speak with them.
“The first impression, – said the Head of the Church, – that still touches me deep in my heart, is that I did not see a sad face on any of them. When I greeted them, each of them, although their bodies were wounded, smiling, told me about the victory of Ukraine. And everyone asked for a prayer so that they could return to work as soon as possible and again side by side with their fellow brothers and sisters to defend our Motherland.”
Their faces, eyes, requests, the bishop continued, shine with hope for all of us. It is the hope that the truth will win, that even a wounded warrior defends his homeland with a prayer, thought, words of inspiration, and encouragement for those who doubt or may be confused.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav asked for a prayer for all those wounded in this war.
The Head of the UGCC once again addressed all the statesmen of the world’s nations, the leaders of religious communities, churches, and denominations concerning the greatest pain of Ukraine today, which is the city of Mariupol. “This city needs humanitarian borders today. It needs even the international community to help to break through the siege and bring humanitarian supplies we have for those who are slowly dying of hunger today”, mentioned the Head of the Church.
