The leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, speaking to Vatican News about the 1,000-day war in the country, said that the solution to many injustices in the world today lies in the resilience of the Ukrainian people.
Vatican News
kyiv, Wednesday, November 20, 2024: Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk spoke of pain, but also of hope. He reflected on the Thousand Day War, which has devastated his country, Ukraine, since February 2022.
In an interview with Vatican News, the leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church reiterated his condemnation of the war, calling it “absurd and impious.” He appealed to the world on behalf of the Ukrainian people not to leave him alone: ”Do not leave us alone.” They say: “Stay with us, even if it is in silence.”
Question: What are the feelings of Ukrainians today, after the Thousand Day War, and in light of the recent Russian attacks, how do they feel?
Major Archbishop Shevchuk: If we talk about emotions, on the one hand the deep feeling of pain increases. People are deeply hurt because every day we are forced to look at the terrible face of death and destruction. On the other hand, given the way we have lived the last thousand days, the dominant emotion is hope – or rather, the quality and ability to hold on to hope. Because without hope today it is impossible to live in Ukraine. When we see how Ukrainian energy infrastructure workers go to work again and again after each missile attack and repair the damage within a few hours, or how our doctors, despite the dangers, rescue people from houses destroyed and save lives, along with others. pain, there is also hope. Hope comes from people from different professions, social groups and regions of Ukraine.
Question: Many Ukrainians say that the war has changed them a lot. What changes or transformations do you think Kisiya has experienced in Ukraine?
Senior Archbishop Shevchuk: When the war began and we suddenly found ourselves under bombs, we were deeply shocked. Many psychologists and social scientists, as well as us, from a spiritual point of view, agree that this shock was a kind of new beginning: in an instant, all human relationships were shattered and everything we had understood up to that point moment disappeared. What he had lived has been destroyed. This new beginning led to renewal, as we had to rebuild our relationships, first with ourselves; each person had to ask themselves, “Who am I? What am I supposed to do?” All masks and pretensions disappeared, revealing the deep essence of humanity in both its greatness and its fragility. This confusion also led to another phenomenon: losing and rediscovering the relationship with God.
When you experience a bombing, your house shakes and the terrible roar of the bombs, you seem to plunge into spiritual darkness and cry out: “Lord, where are you? Like Jesus on the cross. However, at that moment the seemingly absent God is revealed and the Church witnesses a profound transformation: a transformation of the priests, bishops, monks and faithful, as well as those who are far from the Church. People rediscover God as their source of life in the midst of disaster and pain. This is the essence of spiritual and ecclesial life: losing and finding again, suffering destruction and emerging in a different world, society or country. That is why everyone says that the Ukraine that existed before February 24, 2022 no longer exists. We must rediscover this people, this country and the church of Christ among them.
Question: The most precious gift from God is life. In Ukraine, many families mourn the loss of loved ones who have died on the front lines or in shelling. How does the church help people love and protect life?
Senior Archbishop Shevchuk: Under these circumstances, we feel drowned in an ocean of pain. Human suffering is a mystery and the Church follows the example of Jesus Christ, who entered into the depths of human suffering and showed the way out. We have learned some important lessons.
The first lesson: don’t rush to say: “I understand you.” Many people living abroad, including friends, say: “We understand you”, but these words hurt because you cannot say to a young man who has lost his legs: “I understand you.”
Lesson two: The importance of simply being present, even if we can’t say anything. The ritual of presence is very important. We say: “Shut up, but stay with us. “Don’t leave us alone.” The presence of the Church is a sacrament that makes visible the real presence of the Lord among his people.
Lesson Three: What is equally important is the power of words. It contains the power, life, hope and ability of God to renew our human and spiritual resources. The Word of the gospel is actually life; It’s not just a nice phrase or a metaphor. I have seen with my own eyes how, when I proclaimed the Word of God, it literally brought people back to life. It’s a miracle!
Question: In many interviews we hear Ukrainians say that they are the first to want peace, but unfortunately what is happening seems to push this goal even further away. What is the source of hope for a just and lasting peace to come to this suffering country?
We have realized that this source of hope is not outside Ukraine, abroad, but within us. They gave us three days… and now we’re talking about 1,000 days of a senseless, blasphemous, impious war. We have seen that within us there is a seething source of resistance, resilience and hope, which becomes a political, military and diplomatic issue.
The aggressor wants to destroy this boiling fountain, he refuses to recognize its existence and wants to destroy it with missiles, bombs, tanks. And sometimes this source of hope also creates problems for politicians: many see Ukraine as a problem. But they do not understand that in this source lies the solution to many injustices and many situations in the modern world that is experiencing the loss of its humanity. Even diplomats feel challenged by this source of hope and resilience in Ukraine; They are looking for various sources of peace, sources of political dialogue, but so far they have not found them. I believe that this source certainly does not have a purely human origin: every day we see how our human strength is exhausted and then renewed. There is a spark of life.
Question: Anything else you would like to add?
Senior Archbishop Shevchuk: I would like to add that today in Ukraine we are truly experiencing something that transcends the borders of any nation, country or even Church.
The true face of humanity is being revealed and those who are able to recognize it will understand that Ukraine today is not a problem but part of the solution.
