From the Head of the UGCC on the 173 rd day of the war: Know that on your hospital bed, on this bed of pain, you are not alone
I want to thank everyone who today cares about the pain of wounded Ukrainians as if it were their own; all those who accept Ukrainian children for treatment in various medical institutions in Europe and the world, helping with prosthetics. To all those who send humanitarian cargoes to Ukraine with medicines and other means that currently can be used to save human life and alleviate suffering. The Father and Head of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, said in his daily address on the 173 rd day of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“Over yesterday and this night, the Ukrainian land again shuddered, cried, and groaned. The heaviest battles are taking place in the Donetsk region and Luhansk region. The city of Bakhmut becomes the epicenter of the concentration of Russian troops and the line of their active ground offensive, which the Ukrainian army heroically restrains.
“This night, Russian missiles that flew from the territory of Russia, mainly Belhorod, heavily shelled the residential quarters of Kharkiv. The situation is no better in the South, in Mykolaiv. We see that the enemy is attacking educational institutions that are preparing for the beginning of the school year,” mentioned the Patriarch.
On this day, His Beatitude Sviatoslav reflected on human rights. According to him, the result of the struggle and maturation of mankind in the awareness of the dignity of a man during the first half of the 20th century, particularly after the Second World War, was the introduction of the modern concept of “human rights”, which today is one of the most effective ways of guaranteeing the dignity of a person and her respect.
The Primate recalled how, at the international level, on December 10, 1948, the United Nations solemnly proclaimed the Declaration of Human Rights, which Pope John Paul II called “a true milestone on the path of moral progress of mankind.” “How can we talk about any rights, the law, how can we fulfill the will of Volodymyr Monomakh, that ‘everything must be done so that the strong do not destroy a person’ without affirming the rights of this person,” His Beatitude Sviatoslav pointed out.
“Therefore, today the Church teaches that human rights do not come from an external source. It is not the ruler, the law-giver, or human authority that gives rights to man. No! Human rights derive from his dignity as the image and likeness of God. That is why Christian teaching claims that human rights are universal, integral, and unbreakable. They are universal precisely because they belong to all people, and are present in everyone, regardless of origin, race, ethnicity, citizenship, religious or political belief, regardless time, place, and person herself. They are inviolable, because no one has the right to violate them, and all people possess them by the very fact of belonging to the human race,” the Archbishop explained.
“Every person, whether he is an emigrant, a refugee, a prisoner of war, or a civilian in state of the war, has inviolable rights. Also, they are inalienable because no one can legally deprive another person of them, despite who they are. Otherwise, it is violence against a person. How important for us to realize that every human life requires respect and service. If such consciousness prevailed through Christian sermons and testimonies throughout the world, then there would be no conflicts and wars,” His Beatitude Sviatoslav is convinced.
Today he addressed the wounded. “Dear servicemen, brothers, and sisters, children, I want to address you with words of prayer and support. Our Church seeks to be close to you.”
The Patriarch said that while visiting the wounded, he often saw a brother, sister, mother, and daughter next to them, who tirelessly watched over their beds day and night. “I want to especially thank you, dear brothers and sisters, who sympathize and take care of relatives and share their pain and grief with them. Today, Christian solidarity with those who suffer the most is a testimony of our faith in the Risen Christ. May modern medicine and all means of medical art be opened generously to those who have been injured on Ukrainian soil and need qualified emergency medical care.”
“O God, bless Ukraine! God, hear the cry and pain of our sons and daughters! Wipe away the tears of the upset! With your healing hand, touch the wounds of the wounded sons and daughters of Ukraine and bring them long-lasting healing. God, grant peace to Ukraine!” asked the Archbishop.
The UGCC Department for Information
