The Head of the UGCC about the threat of missile attacks on Independence Day: Do not neglect it but do not panic either
Needless to say, we need to be vigilant, law-abiding citizens and listen to the warnings of the military-civilian administration because these days, particularly in Kyiv, we are very much asked not to neglect the air raid alerts and the rules of conduct during this alert. And on the other hand, I would advise you not to panic and be afraid.
The Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, called for this in an interview for radio “Maria”, speaking about possible mass missile strikes by Russia before the Independence Day of Ukraine.
“Something of this kind we were promised for Easter or May 9. There were other similar moments during those six months, but we survived all of them. I think that we, Christians, should experience any such event spiritually,” reckons His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
According to the Head of the UGCC, Russia’s existential threat to Ukraine is relevant every day. “It’s just that we live in different parts of Ukraine,” the Head of the Church noted, “and sometimes it seems to us that the war is somewhere far away.” At that time, when Kyiv was almost surrounded, we felt that the war was at our gates. Unfortunately, in the capital, we sometimes do not fully comprehend that the war continues. Every day Kharkiv and Mykolaiv experience bombing overnight. Obviously, Russia has not stopped and is not stopping in its dark plans to kill Ukraine. That’s why it’s hard for me to comment on any plans to strike again because those strikes are carried out every day.”
His Beatitude Sviatoslav recalled the massive rocket attack on Zhytomyr a few months ago. “24 rockets were fired over. It was just terrifying. It is only 130 kilometers from Kyiv, and the city continued to live peacefully. And now they say that 25 rockets will be fired over Kyiv, everyone is getting frightened…” he added.
“We need to experience this day in deep prayer. Christian prayer is a great power. We may not see all spiritual dimensions as we see all dimensions of a falling Russian missile, yet the mystical power of Christian prayer that penetrates the heavens is much stronger and more powerful. That is why we pray this day.”
The spiritual leader calls to pray and think not only about oneself, saving one’s own life or threats to personal safety, but also about the needs of others.
“Christian prayer, he noted, should always begin with gratitude. We should thank God for all that we have already received: for the gift of freedom and independence, for the gift of life, for the fact that we live today.”
“Obviously,” His Beatitude Sviatoslav emphasizes, “we must apologize to God for our sins and be ready to die at any moment. It may sound dramatic, but a good Christian is never afraid to stand before God’s face. If such consciousness is one of the foundations of our life, we will avoid many sins and sinful illusions.”
“Let us pray for the needs of other people, for those we know and those we don’t. And only then we pray for our own needs, even our security. And at the end, we glorify the Lord with our lives because glorification is the prayer of angels.”
The UGCC Department for Information
