“One thing I will say on behalf of the people of Ukraine: it never occurs to anyone to surrender”: Head of the UGCC in New York
On March 9, the Father and Head of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, along with members of the Permanent Synod, prayed with Ukrainians at St. George Church in Manhattan, New York. The Head of the Church celebrated a Moleben for the victory of Ukraine and a just peace, after which he met with the Ukrainian community of one of the largest cities in the United States.
“There is one thing I have to say to you on behalf of the people of Ukraine,” the Head of the UGCC addressed Ukrainians in New York. “Ukraine is wounded but unbroken! […] Ukraine is exhausted, but it stands and will stand! Trust me, it never occurs to anyone to surrender, even in the places where hostilities are taking place today. Listen to our people in Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Kharkiv, and Sumy! One thing we know for sure is that if Ukraine is even partially conquered, God forbid, the frontier of death will expand. All of you have seen the horrible footage from Bucha. That was only the beginning. They [the Russians] were so desperate to drench all of Kyiv in blood. If it were not for the courage of our men and women and the miraculous power of God that was hovering over Kyiv at the time, I probably would not have come to you today.”
His Beatitude Sviatoslav addressed all those who were skeptical about Ukraine’s capacity to resist with the following words: “Come to Ukraine and see! If any of you do not believe in the victory of Ukraine, perhaps it’s time to go to confession! It means that we have little trust in the living God present in the body of the Ukrainian people.”
The Head of the UGCC expressed gratitude to the audience for their solidarity with Ukraine. “At the airport in New York, I heard the following words: ‘Your blood is our blood, and your pain is our pain.’ And now I see that my tears are your tears. […] The people who believe in the resurrection and know how to stay together, pray together, are unbreakable.”
His Beatitude Sviatoslav thanked the faithful in America for their prayers and reminded them: “Prayer is not just beautiful words learned by heart. Prayer is a room of healing, Resurrection, life amidst death.”
The bishop noted that in Ukraine, people pray in shelters during missile shelling, and those who do not know how to pray sing. He recalled how hundreds of people in the Kyiv subway during the Russian attacks sang songs and thus overcame their fear. The Primate remembered the continuous prayer on the rosary for the victory of Ukraine. He called on the audience to pray and thanked them for the humanitarian aid offered by Ukrainians in America. “Thank you that here, even far from Ukraine, you remain Ukrainians; you remember whose fathers and grandfathers you were as children; you unite in our churches, parishes, and communities, teach your children to believe in God and speak Ukrainian. It is your duty, your checkpoint,” said the Primate.
He then invited Bishop Włodzimierz Juszczak, Bishop of Wrocław-Koszalin, and Bishop Josaphat Moszczych, Bishop of Chernivtsi, to address the audience and share about the ministry in their dioceses.
Afterward, His Beatitude Sviatoslav answered questions from Ukrainians, including those of the captured Redemptorist Fathers from Berdiansk.
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