Head of the UGCC on Soldiers and Ukrainians Abroad: “We Must Learn to Unite in the Name of God and Ukraine”
In an interview with the Apostrophe TV channel, the Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, spoke about possible social challenges after the war, particularly the difficult encounters between soldiers returning from the front and those who spent the war abroad. He stressed that new divisions in society can only be overcome through healing and unity, which the Church is called to foster.
According to the Head of the UGCC, the burden of war has fallen unevenly on the shoulders of Ukrainians. This has created different experiences of hardship and trauma, which inevitably risk fueling new social divisions.
“A soldier will return home with his traumas, and his wife will say: ‘I don’t understand him.’ A neighbor will return to another neighbor who remained under occupation, and they will say to each other: ‘You don’t understand me.’ Therefore, we must be ready to bridge these new divisions, which stem from different experiences and depths of trauma. This war will leave its mark on all of us,” he said.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav emphasized that returning to peaceful life will be tremendously difficult, and in this process the Church will play a pivotal role.
“It is easy to enter into war, but returning from it to peace is very, very difficult. The Church can become a space for healing the wounds of war and for providing stability in the future post-war Ukraine,” the Primate stressed. “We are already beginning to build this space. I believe this will be the key to our ultimate victory.”
Responding to a journalist’s question about alleged conflicts between returning soldiers and those who went abroad, the Head of the Church stressed that this is not about condemnation:
“God is the Judge. We must learn to unite—in the name of Ukraine, in the name of the good of our people. Reconciliation cannot happen without healing. Everyone must heal from their wounds and struggles.”
At the same time, he noted that not everyone who went abroad was a conscientious objector. “Our Ukrainian community abroad is sometimes just as traumatized as our people here. And everyone asks themselves: what should I do today for my country, for Ukraine,” His Beatitude Sviatoslav remarked.
The Patriarch highlighted the unique mission of the UGCC as a global community uniting Ukrainians across the world.
“Our Church is the only one among the Churches of Ukraine that already unites Ukrainians at home and abroad in prayer. More than half of our structures—metropolises, eparchies, parishes—are located outside Ukraine. We are already the bridge uniting Ukrainians worldwide with those in their homeland,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav. “Being a global Church is always a challenge, but it is also our strength.”
“We will remain different even after the war, but we must seek unity in diversity. This is the strength and grace given by St. Volodymyr. And the Church—as a place of healing, as a community of unity for people with different experiences—is uniquely capable of mending the wounds of war. The Church community will be a space of stability, unity, and reconciliation for post-war Ukraine,” concluded the Father and Head of the UGCC.
The UGCC Department for Information
