Videomessaggio del Capo e Padre della Chiesa greco-cattolica ucraina nella 226 ª settimana di guerra su vasta scala, 14 giugno 2026
Glory to Jesus Christ!
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ!
This Sunday marks the 226th week of the great war brought upon peaceful Ukrainian land by the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation.
Although we all remember that this war began back in 2014, making this the twelfth year of the conflict, the full-scale invasion has now lasted 1,569 days. That is longer than World War I. Yet in terms of its cruelty, the intensity of the fighting, and the sophisticated weapons being used, this war—which is, by its very nature, a colonial war in Europe in the third millennium—arguably surpasses even the horrors of World War I.
Once again, this week has brought tremendous suffering, pain, bloodshed, and tears to Ukraine. Fighting continues to intensify along the entire front line. Yet despite all their efforts, the Russian forces have achieved neither tactical nor strategic success.
We once again express our gratitude to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, to our young men and women on the front lines, who have stopped and continue to stop the enemy, creating a safe environment for the civilian population.
Every night, however, our cities and villages come under renewed attack from missiles, drones, and aerial bombardments. This week, we have prayed in a special way for Zaporizhzhia and Dnipro, for Sumy and Kharkiv, and for Odesa, which endures nightly attacks.
At the same time, this week also brought rays of profound hope. On June 5, the 75th prisoner exchange took place. Ukraine succeeded in bringing home 186 of its citizens. One of them is a civilian, while the remaining 185 are members of the military.
Over the course of this week, I received many letters and messages expressing gratitude. In particular, people wished to thank Pope Leo XIV, because many of those whose names I had previously handed over to the Holy Father on lists of prisoners returned home this very week. Today, I simply wish to convey the words of gratitude from wives, mothers, children, and from our young men and women who have finally returned home.
We thank Pope Leo XIV, who continues to speak about the need to place pressure on Russia and to bring this senseless and sacrilegious war to an end, particularly through diplomatic means. We are also grateful to the Holy Father for drawing attention to the suffering of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people even during his visit to Spain. Our young people had the opportunity to be with the Pope in Madrid and in Catalonia.
We are likewise grateful that the Holy Father personally blessed an entire convoy of ambulances that are now being sent from Spain to Ukraine to help save human lives.
Today, we remember that nearly 7,000 Ukrainian prisoners of war remain in Russian captivity, while almost 20,000 people are officially listed as missing in action. At the same time, there are approximately 70,000 individuals whose relatives continue to search for them, uncertain whether they are among the fallen or among the prisoners of war. This is the pain borne by the families of prisoners of war and those missing in action—a pain that we bring before God each day in the prayers of our Church.
This week, on June 11, a global initiative launched by the World Council of Churches took place—a worldwide prayer for peace in Ukraine. On behalf of the religious community of Ukraine, I express my gratitude to the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches for organizing this initiative.
Bishops, pastors, and faithful from various churches and denominations around the world—from Australia, the Philippines, Argentina, African countries, North America, Asia, and Europe—joined us in prayer. This global prayer became a prayer of the children of Christ’s Church, belonging to different denominations yet united in their plea for an end to this sacrilegious war.
From Ukraine, we once again proclaimed to the world: Ukraine stands firm. Ukraine fights. Ukraine prays!
This Sunday, in accordance with the liturgical calendar of our Church, we celebrate, together with our Orthodox brothers and sisters, the Sunday of All Saints of the Ukrainian People. We reflect on the history of holiness, particularly the holiness of the Christians of Ukraine. Today, in a liturgical manner, we commemorate all those who have been beacons of the Christian faith in our lands, beginning with the baptism of the pious Prince Volodymyr.
We remember the baptizers of Ukraine, Prince Volodymyr and the pious Princess Olha; those who established monastic life in Ukraine at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, our saints Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves. We remember all those ascetics who, throughout the history of Christian Ukraine, bore fruit through the grace of the Holy Spirit.
We are especially grateful for those whom His Holiness Pope John Paul II, twenty-five years ago, raised to the altars of the Universal Church as the blessed martyrs of the communist era—the period of persecution of the Christian faith in the Soviet Union.
Today, all the saints of the Ukrainian people—whether they lived and served in Ukraine or in the diaspora—are praying for our people. But they also remind us that being a saint in times of war is a calling, a challenge, and also a privilege for every believer, for every Christian in Ukraine today.
We pray: all the saints of our people—fathers and mothers, pious princes, ascetics of our monastic tradition, martyrs and confessors—pray to Christ God, the King of Peace, for the soonest possible end to this war.
And You, our Lord and Savior, who are glorified in Your saints, hear their prayers and bless our long-suffering Ukrainian land 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.
Glory to Jesus Christ!
