Shameless theft at the state level, - His Beatitude Sviatoslav on Russia’s attempted annexation of four regions of Ukraine

“We have witnessed an unprecedented event in the history of modern humanity - shameless theft at the state level,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav, commenting on the attempt to annex the territories of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson regions of Ukraine captured by Russia.

His Beatitude Sviatoslav emphasized that the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church strongly condemns the attempt to annex the territory of Ukraine. Its position is expressed, in particular, in the joint Address of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations: “The territory of Ukraine within the internationally recognized and constitutionally established border is integral and inviolable. The full-scale war launched by Russia against Ukraine aims, in defiance of international law, to seize part of the territory of Ukraine and destroy the Ukrainian state.”

Illegal annexation, noted the Head of the UGCC, became the main topic of Pope Francis’s thoughts before the Angelus prayer last Sunday. Such a gesture by the Holy Father is unprecedented because a Sunday sermon usually precedes this prayer.

The Holy Father, in particular, said: “I strongly condemn the serious situation that has arisen in recent days due to repeated actions contrary to the principles of international law. It increases the threat of nuclear escalation, up to the fear of uncontrollable and catastrophic consequences at the global level.”

“Referring to international law, Pope Francis recognizes the inviolability of Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders and calls Mariupol and Zaporizhzhia Ukrainian cities, expressing his disagreement with the annexation attempt,” His Beatitude Sviatoslav explained.

The Head of the UGCC also drew attention to the asymmetry of the Pope’s addresses to the presidents of Russia and Ukraine. The Holy Father called on the president of the Russian Federation to immediately stop “this spiral of violence and death.” At the same time, saddened by the immense suffering of the Ukrainian people “as a result of the aggression,” he called on the President of Ukraine “to be open to serious peace proposals.”

“The Pope understands that for Ukraine, the seriousness of peace proposals means the search for mechanisms to return the sovereignty of our state to the borders defined in 1991. It is also important to note that the Apostolic See has never previously recognized attempts to occupy Ukrainian Crimea by Russia. Diplomacy, which the Holy Father calls us to, as a tool for achieving peace in the world, is always based on respect and strict observance of the norms of international law,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav.

The UGCC Department for Information