The war waged by Russia against Ukraine bears all the hallmarks of genocide: Head of the UGCC in the 93 rd week of war
The enemy wants to debilitate us, sow despair, want us to lose heart. However, we carry Christ, the source of our nation’s resilience. Therefore, as a people, as a state, as God’s people we will endure. His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, said this in a traditional video address on the 93 rd week of the great war that the Russian occupier brought to our peaceful land.
“On Holodomor Memorial Day, when Ukraine mourns the 90th anniversary of the great famine and genocide, our city of Kyiv became the target of the most massive strike by unmanned aerial vehicles in the entire history of war. This confrontation against evil, which Ukraine is waging today, bears all the hallmarks of a spiritual struggle,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
As commonly acknowledged, he says that when a believer confronts the forces of evil in the spiritual struggle, the adversaries can be very powerful and strong. Victory over evil is dubbed perseverance—the one who does not surrender wins.
“We cannot destroy the spirits of evil in the heavenly realms, but we can hold off their attack, which is always temporary. This attack is always strong but temporary. We observe something similar in Ukraine today. The enemy wants to debilitate us, sow despair, and want us to lose heart, but the Ukrainian Church, our churches, and religious organizations are preachers of hope. And today, we tell ourselves and the world: Ukraine stands, Ukraine fights, Ukraine prays!” said the Head of the Church.
Remembering the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor Genocide, the Head of the Church emphasized that it was a real genocide because the state wanted to exterminate Ukrainians as a nation, as a people, and as a culture.
“The Great Famine was intended not only to kill the body but to sow paralyzing fear of the desire for freedom forever. The Great Famine was meant to kill the desire of Ukrainians to be themselves, to be a free people forever. And unfortunately, this trauma — spiritual and psychological — tends to be passed down from generation to generation. It is part of our identity as a post-genocidal nation. That is why it is so important today to remember and commemorate those who were innocently killed by famine in Ukraine,” the spiritual leader believes.
He noted that this memory has both a therapeutic and healing impact. It frees us, reminding us that it is not only possible but necessary to be ourselves and that we must strive for freedom.
“We see,” the Primate emphasized, “that the war that Russia is waging against Ukraine displays all the characteristics of genocide. Russia wants to subjugate our country as its old colony and kill the desire and ability of Ukrainians to be free. However, Ukraine was not killed 90 years ago and will stand today.”
The UGCC Department for Information
