“December 6 is a special occasion to show respect to the national army” — Head of the UGCC on the 94th week of war
All sorts of attempts by politicians and diplomats, whether in Ukraine or abroad, who, sitting in warm offices, reflect on how the Ukrainian army should fight now, resonate with pain in the hearts of Ukrainians. It becomes even more painful when they turn the people’s suffering into a subject of bargaining, diplomatic, political, and even economic. His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, said this in a traditional military video message on the 94th week of the great war that the Russian invaders brought to peaceful Ukrainian land.
Photo from open sources
“Given this manipulation of the true patriotism of the soldiers who give their lives for their homeland, today we say no to all those who want to profit from the war. And we urge you to support the Ukrainian army together,” said the Primate.
The Head of the UGCC noted that the intensity of hostilities along the entire front line is not ceasing. The enemy attempts to destroy our cities and villages. He is targeting civilians.
“This week, we were shocked by the news of a large number of missiles hitting the small town of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region. Entire families were pulled out of the rubble. A six-month-old infant was miraculously saved: the father carried the bleeding child in his arms,” said the Head of the Church with deep concern.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav noted that this week, we had a special event in the central hall of the National Holodomor Victims Memorial in Kyiv. In accordance with the committee’s decisions to honor the memory of the blessed martyr Omelian Kovch, we presented the awards of this righteous man of our Church and our people to special honorees. Among them are the Polish people, not politicians or authorities, but ordinary people who opened their hearts and homes and gave the last dime from their pockets to support their brothers and sisters in Ukraine.
“We honored military chaplains from different Churches,” said the spiritual leader. “Even from different religions, who today fulfill the mission of Father Omelyan Kovch. This martyr was once a chaplain of the Ukrainian Galician Army. He remained human even in a concentration camp, where he saw God in the midst of Nazi terror. Our military chaplains act in the same way in the midst of the fiery war. We are grateful to God for their support of the Ukrainian army.”
He also pointed out that this week, on December 6, Ukraine will celebrate the Day of the Ukrainian Army: “This is a special occasion to show respect to the nation’s army, which protects our future at the cost of their own blood and lives. We only live because someone gave their life for us.”
On December 6, we will also celebrate the day of St. Nicholas, the Wonderworker of Myra and Lycia. “This saint embodies God’s true, active love for our children, youth, and elderly. Let us do at least one good deed together on this day to support, inspire, and save someone who is having a hard time today. May St. Nicholas visit our children, orphans, and prisoners again. May he visit our soldiers, who will pray to him on the front line this evening, with the light of hope that good always wins,” added His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
The UGCC Department for Information
