Evacuation is primarily about saving human life: Head of the UGCC on the forced evacuation of children from Bakhmut
His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Father and Head of the UGCC, shared his opinion about the initiative of the Ukrainian authorities to forcibly evacuate children from Bakhmut with one of their parents or guardians. The evacuation of children was one of the themes of March Live with His Beatitude Sviatoslav on Zhyve Television.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav noted that the story of forced evacuation from one’s home is always tragic. However, remembering that its primary goal is to save human life is worth remembering.
The Head of the UGCC said that since the beginning of the full-scale war, the Church had become a point of social service and always responded to initiatives to evacuate people from places that directly threatened life.
“We were helping children, women, and the elderly to flee under fire, and how we tried to reach some kind of temporary ceasefire agreement and to establish those green corridors to save human lives,” His Beatitude Sviatoslav recalls.
The Head of the Church noted that, according to the authorities, today, there are serious grounds for evacuation, particularly from Bakhmut. Everyone knows that Bakhmut is the battleground of the military confrontation. Therefore, His Beatitude Sviatoslav supports the initiative to evacuate to safer regions: “I would ask all civilians in Bakhmut to think about evacuating as soon as possible. However, we all believe this is a temporary evacuation, that our Ukraine will liberate all its currently occupied territories, and all our internally displaced persons will be able to return to their homes.”
When it comes to rescuing children, one of the relatives should evacuate with the child so that they can be handed over to those who will care for them.
Thus, the Head of the UGCC states that the Church is trying to do everything to ensure that internally displaced persons find a warm community that will accept them at the place of their evacuation.
“Let us stand in solidarity with those whose lives are in direct danger today,” His Beatitude Sviatoslav called on.
The UGCC Department for Information
