Head of the UGCC on the 146th week of the war: We hope exhumation of graves will allow us to heal the wounds of historical memory
We are grateful to the Lord that the voice of Christians in Ukraine and Poland has moved the hearts of our statesmen and politicians. His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, said this in his traditional military video address on the 146th week of the Russian aggressor’s full-scale invasion of peaceful Ukrainian land.
Reflecting on the past week, the Head of the Church noted that at the general audience, the Holy Father Francis reminded the whole world that Ukraine had entered a winter period that could be one of the most arduous in the modern history of our independent state.
“And that is exactly what we are witnessing: the enemy is not only attacking the positions of the Ukrainian army along the entire front line, but it is also relentlessly destroying the critical infrastructure of our cities and villages,” he emphasized.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav shared that, centers for healing the wounds of war, points of invincibility, where all the needy can get access to electricity, warmth, and receive the grace of the Holy Spirit in the Holy Sacraments and a word of comfort from their Church, are being opened and sustain in our communities and parishes.
“Therefore, today we once again proclaim from the heart of unbreakable Ukraine: Ukraine stands, Ukraine fights, Ukraine prays!” the spiritual leader emphasized.
The Primate thanked the Lord that a historic meeting of the foreign ministers of the two countries has finally taken place, a meeting that will hopefully initiate the commemoration of the victims of the Volyn tragedy and the victims of the Ukrainian-Polish war in Poland. “We trust that the exhumation of the graves, honoring of innocent victims, and standing together in truth will help heal the wounds of our historical memory and laid a foundation for a shared future based on dialogue, reconciliation, and mutual forgiveness,” said the Head of the UGCC.
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Video-message of the Head of the UGCC on the 146th Week of Full-Scale War, December 1, 2024
His Beatitude Sviatoslav also thanked all who participated in the annual fundraising campaign “Andriyiv Hrish” held on the feast of St. Andrew the First-Called and contributed to the church-wide fund of our Church, which aims to support people in need.
According to him, this collection aids the needy not only in Ukraine. Following the decision of our Synod, half of the funds raised this year were allocated were allocated to communities in Argentina, which face tremendous hardship due to the challenging economic conditions in that country. “Church-wide solidarity works,” the Primate concluded.
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