Video-message of the Head of the UGCC on the 146th Week of Full-Scale War, December 1, 2024
Glory to Jesus Christ!
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ!
It has been 146 weeks now since the Russian aggressor’s full-scale invasion of peaceful Ukrainian land. This week, at a general audience, His Holiness Pope Francis reminded the world that winter has begun in Ukraine. This winter could be one of the most severe in the modern history of our nation, our independent state.
And so it happened: this week, once again, the enemy attempted not only to attack the positions of the Ukrainian army along the entire front line, it has also been relentlessly destroying the critical infrastructure of our cities and villages. Particularly, on the night of November 28, a massive missile attack struck and damaged various infrastructure facilities, even in western Ukraine. Our Volyn, Ternopil, and Prykarpattia were affected. Many towns and villages remain without electricity, though the Ukrainian people are rallying to help each other.
Centers for Healing the Wounds of War, centers of invincibility, where all people in need may find access to electricity, warmth, and then receive the grace of the Holy Spirit through the Holy Sacraments of the Church as well as a word of hope from their Church, are being opened and continue to operate in our communities and parishes.
Therefore, today we once again speak from the heart of unbreakable Ukraine: Ukraine stands, Ukraine fights, Ukraine prays!
This week, in the course of our shared retreat of the Catholic bishops of Ukraine, we conducted another annual fraternal meeting, where we, together with the bishops of different traditions of the Universal Church, could reflect and assess once again our potential to serve the Ukrainian people, our homeland, and how to support those who are in the greatest need.
We are also grateful to the Lord God that the voice of Christians in Ukraine and Poland moved the hearts of our state and political leaders. The historic meeting of the two foreign ministers of Ukraine and Poland finally took place. A meeting that will hopefully pave the way for the commemoration of the victims of the Volyn tragedy and the victims of the Ukrainian-Polish war on Polish territory. We hope that exhuming the graves, honoring the innocent victims, and standing together in truth will help us heal the wounds of our historical memory and build a common future based on dialogue, reconciliation, and mutual forgiveness.
We would also like to thank all those who took part in the annual Andriyiv Hrish collection held this week, which takes place on the feast of St. Andrew the First-Called. For our Church, which commemorates the blessing of the Apostle Andrew on the holy Kyivan mountains, this St. Andrew’s Day is a moment of church-wide solidarity.
I am deeply thankful to all those who took part in this collection campaign and truly supported the church-wide fund of our Church with their donations, which aims to provide support and help people in need.
Today, Ukraine encounters numerous daunting challenges. We addressed them in the context of the activities of our Synod of Bishops of the UGCC in Ukraine. Specifically, we were discussing military chaplaincy.
But we also witnessed that this collective campaign of St. Andrew the First-Called extends beyond those in need in Ukraine. Specifically, by the decision of our Synod, half of the funds raised this year were allocated to Argentina—to our diocese and communities in that country—who are on the verge of survival due to the economic distress in this Latin American nation. Church-wide solidarity works.
Our Church, in cooperation with other Churches in Ukraine and worldwide, strives to do everything possible to save lives in Ukraine, care for those in need in our homeland, and thwart the enemy’s wicked plans to demoralize our nation and deprive us of our warmth and light. This light is the light of Christ’s truth, and this warmth is the warmth of our Christian love, which we are willing to share and warm all those in need.
God bless Ukraine! God bless our men and women at the front! God bless all the kind people around the world who stand in solidarity with us today! God, be our light in darkness and our strength in weakness and, moreover, in times of impotence! O God, bless long-suffering Ukraine with Your just heavenly peace!
The blessing of the Lord be upon you, through His grace and love for mankind, always, now and forever, and for the ages of ages. Amen.
