UGCC Head on the 153rd Week of the War: Supporting Families of POWs Is Our Church’s Duty
Peace and accord among Christians is the cornerstone of the Ukrainian people’s resilience. His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, stated this in his traditional video address marking the 153rd week since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian occupiers.
The Primate noted that it was one of those weeks when we miraculously survived: “We thank the Lord God and the Armed Forces of Ukraine for granting us the ability to work, pray, and continue performing good deeds—to serve both the Lord God and the Ukrainian people, as Patriarch Lubomyr of blessed memory reminded us.”
He also noted that there was a moment of light and joy: 25 defenders of our homeland were released from captivity. Among them are the brave defenders of Mariupol, including the Azov soldiers.
“Our Church,” said the spiritual leader, “feels it is its duty in the context of pastoral care for healing the wounds of war to be close to our prisoners of war, to support their families. We see them silently holding posters in squares and in front of government buildings, suffering, sometimes from lack of attention and information about their families. And only the Church is their unwavering support. There, in the cold, we listen to their stories, pray with them, support them, and strive to be their voice of pain. We are doing everything in our power to achieve the release of our heroes at the diplomatic level.”
His Beatitude reminded us that the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity has commenced in our spiritual interchurch life. A traditional prayer was held at the Patriarchal Cathedral, which brought together representatives of various denominations, Churches, and Christian communities.
“We stand together before the face of God and ask for the grace of the Holy Spirit to heal the wounds of division that have appeared between Christians over the millennium. Today in Ukraine, we feel that the issue of Christian unity extends beyond a purely spiritual dimension,” the Primate emphasized.
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Video-message of the Head of the UGCC on the 152rd Week of Full-Scale War, January 19, 2025
The Head of the Church shared that last week he met with His Beatitude Epifaniy, Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, and had the opportunity to be the voice of his predecessors, Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky, a servant of God, Lubomyr, who said that the future of Ukraine depends on the relations between our Churches.
“We shared perspectives on continuing our cooperation—respecting differences and delicate matters—while seeking ways to serve the good of the Ukrainian people and our country,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
The UGCC Department for Information
