“We are fasting and praying. First and foremost, we are praying for our Army. I encourage everyone to pray the “Lord’s Prayer” and the “Hail Mary” at least once a day for our girls and boys who are dying for Ukraine today, shedding their blood.”
There were the words of His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, on March 15, 2022, reflecting on the invasion of Ukraine 20 days into the crisis.
The Major Archbishop noted that Ukraine is still standing, despite experiencing the twentieth day of the war. Ukraine is winning. Ukraine has faith. Faith in God, belief in His truth, and trust that God is with us. “God is on the side of the victims of this unjust aggression. We believe that God Himself suffers in the body of our people” said the Head of the Church.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav mentioned that during the last night our cities were burning again, our Kyiv was burning. People died. Russian bombs fell on the heads of peaceful citizens, who were trying to rest.
Despite the risks to everyone remaining in Ukraine, the UGCC serves its people. The Church is with her people.
“Our priests are in the occupied territories, in the besieged cities, and alongside our people share their pain, hardships, suffering, shedding tears with them, praying with them. Our parishes have turned into social service centers, where a lot of people can receive shelter and basic necessities for survival,” His Beatitude Sviatoslav pointed out.
The spiritual leader commented on how painful it is to see elderly people coming to the parishes to get a piece of bread, grandfathers, and grandmothers who find it so difficult in their infirmities. “And I think to myself, how many of them are being abandoned, left alone in their flats, most vulnerable to Russian bombs?!” he added.
Once again, he called upon the powerful of this world: “Do not be passive observers of the pain and grief in Ukraine. Do not simply watch how we are being slaughtered on your TV sets. Do something! Do everything to stop this war, which has wounded all humanity.”
