Bishops of Poland express their solidarity in prayer with the Ukrainian people (updated)

Ukraine deserves that its citizens be able to live in dignity and that their rights be respected and based on universal values which come from common Christian roots, the letter notes. “We fervently believe that Christ – the Lord of the history and actions of humans – will permit us all to overcome all difficulties, making them the foundation of a new closeness and hope for the resurrection of goodness,” state the authors.

“We ask once again that you pass on to your faithful and all Ukrainian citizens,” note the Polish bishops, “our expression of closeness and solidarity through prayer with these words: God, safeguard Ukraine!”

UGCC Department of Information

ADDENDUM :

Polish Episcopal Conference

Warsaw , December 5, 2013

SEP-D/15.5-2

Your Beatitude Major Archbishop Sviatoslav, Kyiv – Halych Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church,

Highly Regarded Archbishop Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki, Lviv Metropoltan of the Latin Rite! 

In the name of the Polish Bishops we wish to tell you of our solidarity in prayer with the Ukrainian people at this time, so full of historic significance.  We wish to express our spiritual union with all the citizens of Ukraine who during these days are taking on special responsibilities for the fate of their motherland.

With our prayer, we embrace Your Motherland, with which Poland is united through brotherly and good neighbor relations, as well as numerous collaborative efforts.  Just a few months ago, on June 28^th in Warsaw, we signed a joint declaration of our Churches about reconciliation.  There we emphasized that  “cooperation of a free Poland with a free Ukraine is indispensible for the existence of peace in this part of Europe, for people to enjoy religious freedom and for nothing to threaten their human rights.”  Ukraine deserves that its citizens can live with dignity and that their rights be respected and based on those universal values which grow from a common Christian root.

In our declaration, regardless of political premises, in the perspective of faith, we also spoke about the need of “a common testimony of the Christians from Poland and Ukraine in Europe which is uniting,” and we also prayed for God’s assistance “to Polish and Ukrainian peoples, that in living in peace, they share their spiritual wealth and thereby contribute to the unity and future of Europe.”

Then we also sent joint brotherly greetings to the Orthodox brethren in Ukraine, believing that the process of reconciliation would heal the wounds that are an impediment not only to a harmonious co-existence of nations but also to a sincere striving for unity of Christ’s Church.”  In the spirit of brotherly love, today we renew these words.

These words – once pronounced by both the Roman and Greek-Catholic Churches in Poland and Ukraine – crown a process of several decades of reconciliation between our Churches and our peoples, and have great historic significance.  For us they are also an obligation of solidarity and prayer in this complicated as well as crucial moment which Ukraine is experiencing today.  We fervently believe that Christ – the Lord of histories and lives of humans, will permit us all to overcome and survive all difficulties, thus creating a foundation for a new closeness and hope for the resurrection of goodness.

Please pass on to your faithful, Ukrainian citizens, once again our expressions of closeness and support through prayer, expressed by the words:  “God, safeguard Ukraine!”

Józef Michalik, Metropolitan of Przemyśl, President, Polish Episcopal Conference  

Bishop Wojciech Polak, Secretary, Polish Episcopal Conference