“Our Motherland can exist only in its unity, so we do not trade our territories”: Head of the UGCC
A free, independent Ukrainian state is a guarantee of peace not only for our country and its people but also for the entire European continent. It indicates the authenticity of international law, a testament to the fact that the world should be governed by the rule of law, not by the rule of the strong, stated the Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, in a video message on the 79th week of the full-scale war.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav noted that last week hostile missiles and bombs struck civilians in different parts of Ukraine. Ukrainians once again felt that the power of Christ’s faith is the ultimate guarantee of survival, love, and victory.
The Primate recalled that this week Ukraine celebrates two important religious events: the tenth anniversary of the consecration of the Patriarchal Cathedral in Kyiv, from which “every day the light of Christ’s resurrection is transformed into a word of hope that sounds like the voice of God” (August 18), and the Independence Day of Ukraine (August 24).
Celebrating the 32 nd anniversary of the Independence of our Motherland, in the current historical circumstances, the Head of the UGCC noted we are beginning to understand more profoundly what freedom is, what it is to be a free person, and that for the Ukrainian people to have the right to exist, they need their own state.
“To be free means more than just not being subjected to foreign oppression or domination. It is not enough to be free from something or someone, even when it comes to being free from sin. We need to be free for something,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav. “We feel that the highest form of freedom is love as self-sacrifice for God and neighbor. A touchstone of our Christian love for the Motherland in times of war is authentic Christian patriotism.”
“Today, we are rediscovering and reinforcing such a trait of our independent Ukrainian state as unity. For centuries, Ukraine has been torn apart by various empires that have always wanted to annex some piece of its territory. However, our Motherland can only exist in its unity. Therefore, we do not trade our territories,” the Head of the UGCC emphasized.
He added that the idea of paying for freedom and independence by separating some part of Ukrainian territory to satisfy the appetites of the Russian attacker is not only a dangerous utopia but also a way to further aggression of the enemy and encouragement to continue killing us.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav called for remembering and honoring all our predecessors who gave their lives for the freedom of the Motherland, but especially praying for those who today are fighting for the right to life, liberty, and an independent state on the battlefield with the Russian occupier at the cost of their own lives.
The UGCC Department for Information
