The Head of the UGCC urged people to open their hearts and homes to refugees from the East and South

It was said by the Primate in his video blog on "Zhyve TV", summarizing the Synod of the Bishops of the Kyiv-Galician Major Archbishopric of the UGCC, which was held on June 13-14 this year in Zarvanytsya.

He noted that at this Synod the bishops summed up the life of the Church, the ministry of the episcopate and the clergy in the first half of this complex 2014 year.

According to him, the end result of this was an appeal to the clergy, the monkhood, and all the faithful of the UGCC and all people of good will to continue uninterrupted prayer and fasting for peace in Ukraine.

In particular, in this statement the bishops thanked God for listening to our prayers.

"Millions of people in Ukraine and throughout the world prayed for our nation, for our Ukrainian unified state. We feel that God listens to us. We certify that the Lord helped us first – to start updating Ukrainian authorities. We noted that there have been the unprecedented presidential elections in the history of Ukraine, in which with the majority of votes in all regions of Ukraine, we were able to elect the President in the first round. We could keep interfaith, interconfessional and inter-ethnic peace as well in Ukraine. So many different positive spiritual changes took place in our nation. And for that we thank God, and thank all those people who for several months pray and fast for better fortune of the Ukrainian people",- said His Beatitude Sviatoslav.

Meanwhile, the high priest said that has not been fully traversed the path that we started together on the Maidan. "It is not fully able to settle down there, because every day we get disappointing reports on new victims of conflict in the East of our country. We get reports on tens of thousands of refugees from Donbas, the Crimea. So much we have to do. We therefore considered as our duty to call our pastoral people not to stop prayer, and continue fasting and prayer for the successful completion of all that with God's help we have started earlier this year",- He said.

On behalf of the Episcopate the Head of the Church thanked all those who continue in prayer and fasting before God.

His Beatitude urged the faithful not only to pray but also to work. "As during the events on the Maidan we opened our monasteries, churches for the needy, for the wounded, as well today we want to invite to open their hearts, homes and all of our resources to those who need it, especially for the refugees and the wounded" - said His Beatitude.

The Archbishop said that now many of the faithful of the Church give blood for the wounded, carry the means to support Ukrainian forces to purchase necessities. The Head of the Church asks not to stop to help the needy.

UGCC Department of Information