The Head of the UGCC: “Presence of Secretary of State of the Holy See who speaks about war, is the voice which awakens Europeans’ conscience”

This was emphasized by the Head and Father of the UGCC His Beatitude Sviatoslav on June 17 during the press-conference at UNIAN. In the press-conference also took part Lviv’s Metropolitan of the RCC Archbishop Mechyslav Mokshytsky and Bishop Ian Sobilo, auxiliary bishop of the diocese of Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia of the RCC and the head of the technical committee of the humanitarian action “Pope for Ukraine”.

The Head of the Church added that Cardinal Pietro in his speech to the Council of Churches and Religious Organizations in Zaporizhzhia cited the prophetic words of St. John Paul II said in Ukraine 15 years ago about Europe which must feel responsibility for Ukraine “because Ukraine is an integral part of the European continent”. Unfortunately, as stated the guest from Vatican, the war in Ukraine can be forgotten – it is simpler to close one’s eyes on something which cannot be easily and successfully solved. The presence of the head of Vatican’s diplomacy in Ukraine who speaks about war and sufferings, is “the voice which awakens Europeans’ conscience.”

 “The visit of the Secretary of State of the Holy See to Ukraine is an appeal to stop the war because it is impossible to help everyone if the war continues. The Pope’s humanitarian mission will be successful when weapons cease speaking and diplomacy begins doing it. The real instrument of discontinuing the war, in the Cardinal’s opinion, the language of diplomacy, negotiations, and keeping agreements which must respect the sacredness of human life’, - summed up the Primate of the UGCC.

As the Head of the UGCC pointed out, it is exactly those messages that the Secretary of State of the Holy See wants to send to Ukraine, the aggressor, and Europe: “These accents are the response to the expectations of millions of Ukrainians regardless of their language and confession. The Pope is with us and he is helping us!His Beatitude Sviatoslav added that since the beginning of war in Ukraine both our Church and the Ukrainian people who are now fighting for their dignity and independence, wish to hear clear and straightforward answer of the Apostolic See about solidarity with them. “We wanted to feel that the Holy Father really understands that Ukraine is living not in the state of civil war but that we are suffering from an unjust aggression. Strangers have come to our land and they are killing our people. This personal humanitarian initiative of Pope Francis is a clear response and solidarity”, he noted. Both the Apostolic Nuncio in Ukraine and the UGCC have been constantly informing the Pope about the situation in Ukraine.

“Determinative was the meeting of the Permanent Synod of the UGCC Bishops with Pope Francis in Vatican on March, 5 this year. We asked the Pope for the world’s solidarity with those inflicted by the war in Ukraine. We are grateful that the State Secretary of the Holy See, who is the head of the Pope’s diplomacy, personally came to Ukraine. This visit does not only launch the humanitarian action which is the Pope’s personal will and which will be carried out by a certain structure, - it also has other dimensions which can change what we call the biggest humanitarian crisis after the Second World War”, - observed His Beatitude Sviatoslav.

The UGCC Department of Information