“Had Europe heard the united voice of the Churches of Ukraine ten years ago, today’s tragedy for millions of Ukrainians could have been averted,” Head of the UGCC
Today, on the Day of Dignity and Freedom, marking the 10th anniversary since the beginning of Euromaidan — an event that escalated into a significant confrontation between the Ukrainian people and the Yanukovych government, which initially intended to close Ukraine’s door to Europe and later led to the war that began in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea and parts of Donbas — the Father and Head of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, emphasizes: Ukraine stands, fights, and prays, knowing the true cost of freedom and remaining unwavering in its commitment to not compromise its dignity.
“Ten years ago, the historic Revolution of Dignity began for our people. Ukrainians came to the capital’s Maidan and then to the squares across the country to say no to evil, blatant violence, corruption, and abuse of power. The very realization of one’s own dignity has already become a revolution, as Pope Benedict XVI once said in a speech to young people.
However, as it turned out, this was only the beginning. To defend our European choice, Ukrainians replaced the barricades of Maidan with the trenches of Donbas, and two years ago, they launched a nationwide confrontation against all-out Russian aggression, which was and still is aimed at destroying the Ukrainian state and our freedom-loving people. With millions of faithful sons and daughters of Ukraine and the power of God that strengthens us, ten years later, Ukraine is standing, Ukraine is fighting, Ukraine is praying!
On this Day of Dignity and Freedom, we bow our heads to the memory of the Heavenly Hundred heroes and all those who gave their lives for Ukraine’s freedom, independence, dignity, and liberty. Owing to their impetus, Europe today recognizes that despite the war, Ukraine is steadily moving towards complete, rightful membership in the European Union.”
At the press conference “Let Us Not Forget Ukraine” at the House of Warsaw Archbishops in Warsaw on November 15, His Beatitude Sviatoslav recalled a moment that, in retrospect, shows very clearly the path Ukraine has taken to the European Union since then. It is on these days, in the run-up to the anniversary of the Revolution of Dignity, that ten years have passed since the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (AUCCRO) presented the Declaration of the European Identity of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in Brussels. And on these days in 2023, the European Commission recommends opening negotiations for Ukraine’s membership in the EU in December of this year.
“While in Brussels in early November, I experienced an interesting and even providential situation: I was in the same building, in the same place, and at the same time when the European Commission offered the opportunity to begin the process of Ukraine’s integration into the European Union,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav. — And when I met with the leaders of the European Union, I reminded them of the document that is ten years old now. It was the fall of 2013, the time of Yanukovych’s presidency, and there was a discussion about whether he would sign the document on Ukraine’s European association. And then, ten years ago, we, the churches, came to Brussels with a statement signed by all the heads of the churches of Ukraine, even Metropolitan Volodymyr Sabodan (then Head of the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate; died July 5, 2014 — ed.), on behalf of our people, being the voice of unity. And it was a declaration of the European identity of the people of Ukraine. We were celebrating the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Ukraine-Rus as a civilizational choice of Prince Volodymyr in Kyiv.
And when, in 2023, I showed this document, which was brought to Brussels by the churches of Ukraine 10 years ago, the European commissioners were impressed because this is what all of Ukraine is appealing to Europe today.
But there is a difference between those appeals and statements: a decade ago, this document was signed by the heads of the Churches. Now, this appeal is marked with the blood of the best sons and daughters of Ukraine. If Europe had heard our united voice, the voice of all the Churches of Ukraine, a decade ago, perhaps today’s tragedy for millions of Ukrainians could have been averted. However, economic reasons took precedence over the principles of European values and the pleas of our people.”
In early November of this year, the Head of the UGCC paid a working visit to Brussels to participate in the General Assembly of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of Europe (COMECE) and meet with European Commissioners. The focal point of the visit was to convey to these institutions the voice of the Ukrainian people about Ukraine’s European integration aspirations prior to the start of negotiations on Ukraine’s membership in the European Union.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav reminded the representatives of the European Commission of the visit of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations to Brussels in 2013 when the religious environment of Ukraine unanimously declared to the top officials of the European Union their unwavering European choice of Ukrainian society. “Thus today, in the context of the neocolonial war that Russia is waging against Ukraine, we want to reaffirm the immutability of Ukraine’s will to be in the family of European nations. Ukraine is awaiting an invitation to join the EU,” the Head of the UGCC emphasized.
The UGCC Department for Information
