Head of the UGCC in the 193 rd Week of the War: The Queen of Norway Hopes to See the Ukrainian People Rejoice in Their Liberation as Soon as Possible
“I had the opportunity to ask the King and Queen for their personal patronage of our congregation,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, in his traditional video address marking the 193 rd week of the full-scale invasion of peaceful Ukrainian land by the Russian army.
The Primate noted that every night this week, Russian forces systematically attacked and destroyed critical energy infrastructure in Ukrainian cities and villages, particularly in the Chernihiv region.
The Head of the Church expressed his gratitude to all volunteers who, in such cold, dark, and difficult circumstances, warm people’s hearts and bring them the light of Christian hope.
“What happened in Kharkiv caused excruciating pain in our hearts — the Russians attacked a kindergarten with drones. Thank God, none of the children were killed, but they are all suffering from acute stress and shock because of what they experienced. In Kyiv’s Podil district, a Russian drone hit a synagogue. Several people were killed and four were wounded,” the Head of the Church recounted.
The spiritual leader called on the international community to say a sharp and decisive “No!” to Russian aggression.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav also noted that this week was marked by an important visit of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations to Norway.
The Primate thanked the royal family for their meeting and for their special consideration of the Ukrainian community in Norway: “I had the opportunity to ask the King and Queen for their personal patronage over our congregation, which greatly needs support. Our pastoral motto in the diaspora—’Integration yes, assimilation no’—should also be realized in this country.”
According to His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the King of Norway responded to this request with a personal reflection: “He recalled that he too had been a refugee — a three-year-old boy forced to emigrate with his family from Nazi-occupied Norway. And the Queen recalled that as a little girl she saw how people rejoiced when the Nazi occupiers left her homeland. She wished that the children of the Ukrainian people would soon experience this same joy — the joy of liberation, the joy of victory.”
His Beatitude Sviatoslav added that among other topics, the Ukrainian religious delegation focused on interfaith and interchurch unity, exploring ways to achieve greater Christian unity in Ukraine and to strengthen the ecumenical movement.
“We wish to express our gratitude once again—both in the context of our visit to Norway and in all our other interactions—to all people of good will from different countries and nations who support us, pray for us, send humanitarian convoys to Ukraine, and help us Christians carry out social service in our homeland,” concluded the spiritual leader of Ukrainians.
