Video-message of the Head of the UGCC on the 177th Week of Full-Scale War, July 6, 2025
Glory to Jesus Christ!
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ!
This marks the 177th week since the start of the full-scale war—a war that continues to claim new victims every single day. And although the world began watching more closely in 2022, we know this war began more than a decade ago. Many of our women and girls have been held in captivity since as early as 2014.
As we grieve the wounds of our people, we cannot forget the families of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred, those who were killed on Kyiv’s Maidan. That tragedy was the beginning of a path marked by bloodshed and sacrifice—a path that has not yet ended.
All of this pain is mounting. The suffering of the Ukrainian people is deepening. And this past week, in particular, broughtunspeakable anguish—with new war crimes committed by Russia against our nation.
Multiple international organizations have confirmed that Russia is using chemical weapons against Ukraine and bombarding our towns and villages with cluster munitions. The enemy is equipping its drones with thermobaric devices, unleashing devastating destruction and fires—burning down the homes of peaceful Ukrainian citizens.
Our soldiers—often fighting with their last ounce of strength—are showing heroic courage as they hold back larger and better-equipped Russian forces attacking from the north, east, and south.
This week, we especially mourn the victims of Poltava and Odesa.
On July 3, those cities endured heavy aerial bombardment, including nighttime carpet bombings. Then, in the early hours of July 4, our capital, Kyiv, came under attack once again. Nearly 500 drones and ballistic missiles were launched at a single city—our capital.
Many people were injured. Among the most barbaric attacks were strikes on ambulances. In a single night, five ambulances, rushing to rescue the wounded, were destroyed. And yet, our golden city—our Kyiv—stood strong once again.
Today, we raise our voices in gratitude.
We thank God. We thank the Armed Forces of Ukraine. We thank all those who support us—in every way, from every corner of the world. Because despite everything, Ukraine stands. Ukraine fights. Ukraine prays.
This week will go down in history—especially for the bishops of our Church—as a synodal week lived in the Eternal City of Rome, at the College of St. Josaphat.
It was a unique and sacred moment: bishops from across the world came together to share their concerns, stand in solidarity with their people, and discern how best to serve them—how to organize resources, focus our strengths, and respond to the challenges we face.
This week was a moment of grace.
During our audience with the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, the bishops of the Synod were present—and what was astonishing, is that the first thing the Pope asked—was to pray together. He invited us to sing the “Our Father” in Ukrainian.
The Pope acknowledged how difficult it is for the bishops of our Church—especially those from Ukraine—to speak of hope, when every day the enemy tries to take it from us. Yet he affirmed that hope still exists. It is within us. It is among us. And the source of that hope is our Lord and God, Jesus Christ.
In my address to the Holy Father, I confirmed that the strength and stability of the Ukrainian Church—and indeed, of the Ukrainian people—comes from the full and visible communion of the Church of Kyiv with the successor of the Apostle Peter. In the most turbulent moments of our history, we have always leaned on Peter’s rock. When the whole world was shaking and falling apart, we stood firm—because Peter was told:
“You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” (Mt 16:18)
I expressed my gratitude to the Holy Father that this rock remains steady today—and that it remains with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. The very fact that our Synod had such a living encounter with the Pope was a visible sign of our communion and unity.
The main theme of this year’s Synod was pastoral care for the family.
We heard the voice of the Ukrainian family. We listened again to its pain, its suffering, and its trials—and together, we sought the light of hope.
The people of Ukraine, and Ukrainians living abroad, have been deeply wounded by this war. But the deepest wound has been inflicted on the family—the basic cell of both Church and society. Everything begins in the family. Life is born there. Faith in God is passed on there. The future of the Church and our people is born there.
And yet we are witnessing a tragic catastrophe in our families, who are now under attack from all sides. The war separates husbands from wives, parents from children. Families are driven from their homes. Many live in isolation. And tragically, many have stopped having children altogether.
The birth rate in Ukraine has dropped to nearly zero. Over the past year, many bishops have reported that the number of funerals in their eparchies has tripled the number of baptisms.
Now more than ever, the family needs care, support, and protection.
That’s why we have once again emphasized the need for an autonomous state institution in Ukraine dedicated to defending families and enacting pro-family policy. As a Church, we are fully prepared to embrace Ukrainian families with our pastoral care.
Our priests and psychologists have told us that the most severe consequences of this war are still ahead. What we see now are only the first signs of the trauma that wounded men, women, and children will carry back into their homes. The Mother Church is already reflecting on how best to support couples and families through this healing.
We want to thank the families who are fighting for the joy of family life. We are grateful to the many pro-family movements in Ukraine that are working in parishes to promote family values—proving that the family is not an unwanted burden, but a path to happiness that God offers to humanity. The family is the path to holiness for two people. Today, our lay faithful—those who bear witness to joyful marriages—are inviting modern young men and women to join them on that path.
We also express our gratitude to the priests who serve in family ministry—preparing couples for marriage, and accompanying them afterward—in parishes, pastoral centers, and other institutions.
Today, we pray: Lord, bless and save our grieving people. Lord, bless Ukrainian families—for it is against them that the devil, the enemy of humanity, wages what may be his final apocalyptic battle against all that is good, holy, and pure. Bless Christian spouses, men, women, and their children. Bless Ukraine, O God. Bless our Ukrainian land, and grant us Your long-awaited, just, and heavenly peace.
The blessing of the Lord be upon you, through His grace and love for mankind, always, now and forever, and for the ages of ages. Amen.
