From His Beatitude Sviatoslav: The Lord is with us. He is being crucified again in the body of Ukraine

Thursday, 17 March 2022, 09:56

“Where is God during war? Where is God when we are being killed? God is with us. He is being crucified again by those who are shooting at us. He is being condemned to death again by those religious leaders who are justifying this war. He is being laid in a tomb by those who are burying the inhabitants of Mariupol, Izium and other cities of Ukraine in mass graves,” His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Father and Head of the UGCC, remarked on television.

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On Tuesday, March 15, the Head of the UGCC addressed Ukrainians on the air during Channel 5’s TV marathon, and on the national marathon of #UArazom, which is broadcast jointly by the country's leading channels.

The Primate of the UGCC pointed out that in the present circumstances of war, our strength comes from God. And from Him, the Head of the Church is convinced, will come the Resurrection, since suffering and death is not the end of a person’s life history.

“Looking at these tragedies, we still need to see light and perspective,” he emphasized.

“God is with us. Today He is on the side of Ukraine and all those who suffer innocently. God is always on the side of the victim of unjust aggression. That’s why, believing in such a God, I believe in Ukraine’s victory,” added His Beatitude Sviatoslav.

The Primate also spoke about fear in the current circumstances. He warned that fear is a very poor guide for a person, even though it is a natural emotion. When we succumb to fear and start acting under its influence, we turn into cowards, the Archbishop observes, and then betray our country, our relatives, and the people closest to us.

According to him, we have amazed the whole world, precisely because we were not afraid of such an enormous enemy, were not held hostage by fear. This is our key to victory.

In response to the question of whether we can pray for the death of Putin, the Head of the UGCC emphasized that it is important for Ukrainians not to pray that something happens to someone, but for us to have the strength to defeat evil. God himself, the Primate says, will deal justly with all war criminals, most of all, Putin, -- in due time.

Pondering whether it is a sin to kill the occupiers, His Beatitude Sviatoslav emphasized: the Church teaches that we have a right to defend our Motherland. Moreover, it is a natural right and a holy obligation. “We are not speaking about a right to kill, but about the right to defend ourselves. Defense must be proportional to how an assailant attacks us,” the Head of the UGCC explained.

The UGCC Department of Information