The Head of the UGCC thanked the Ambassador of Spain for his support and spoke about the nature of Russia’s war against Ukraine
On February 21, 2023, at the residence of the Head of the UGCC in Kyiv, the Father and Head of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, met with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Spain to Ukraine Ricardo Lopez-Aranda Hagu. In the person of Mr. Ambassador, the Head of the UGCC, thanked the Spanish people for supporting Ukraine in countering Russian aggression.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav thanked Mr. Ricardo Lopez-Aranda for his presence in Kyiv, as he is “an eyewitness to the painful situation that Ukraine is going through now.”
“For us, who have survived all this time here, such visits are a signal of significant support and solidarity,” said the Head of the UGCC.
Owing to this solidarity and support, including that of the Spanish people, Ukrainians could survive almost a year of full-scale war, added His Beatitude Sviatoslav, thanking for the humanitarian aid sent from Spain.
The Head of the Church said the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church has close connections with Spain. There is a large Ukrainian diaspora in the country, and about 30 priests of the UGCC serve in the country. His Beatitude Sviatoslav announced that this Saturday, with the beginning of Lent, at the invitation of Cardinal Juan José Omella, Archbishop of Barcelona, he will reflect with the youth who will assemble in the Holy Family Cathedral on the cross of the Lord, based on the experience of Ukraine.
Mr. Ricardo Lopez-Aranda assured that Spain supports Ukraine and will continue to do so, mainly by providing humanitarian aid. He noted that one way Spain helps Ukraine counter Russian aggression is through an educational mission to Latin American countries, explaining why it supports Ukraine. It is crucial since Spain is an influential diplomatic and political authority for them.
Speaking about the ministry of the UGCC during the war, particularly in the social and information areas, His Beatitude Sviatoslav drew the attention of the Spanish Ambassador to the nature of Russia’s war against Ukraine. “This war is a colonial war in Europe, and, unfortunately, Russia is a massive colonizer. It rises as a great empire, and without Ukraine, it will never be able to become this empire. This imperial vision pushes the Russians to conquer the territories of the former Soviet Union,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav explained that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine and Russia chose different paths for their further existence.
Ukraine, he said, chose the path of European development, building a European state. His Beatitude recalled the roundtable discussions on the Copenhagen Criteria, the standards that Ukraine would have to meet to become part of the European Union. The Church was also very committed to this work, mainly working with young people, as the Head of the UGCC emphasized.
To transform Ukrainian society from a post-Soviet to a European one, our Church, for example, developed the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, the Head of the UGCC noted.
“Russia has taken the opposite course. It has always been nostalgic for the great, glorious Soviet Union. The disorders of this post-Soviet society were aggravating every day. And to solve internal problems — social, political, and economic — Russia resorted to external attacks.”
“Thus, we are discussing a conflict between two projects: the Ukrainian one, aimed at the present, and the Russian one, which is about regression and the desire to return to the glory of the past.”
