“When Ukraine Calls, Wherever You Are, Answer the Call for Help”, His Beatitude Sviatoslav to Ukrainians in Canada
His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the UGCC, met with Ukrainian refugees in Canada.
At the outset of the meeting at St. George’s Cathedral in Saskatoon, he spoke about the life of the Church in Ukraine during the war. From the first days of the war, the Patriarchal Cathedral transformed into modern-day Noah’s Ark in Kyiv, which was under semi-siege. People went there, treating it as a bomb shelter. Sometimes, the cathedral’s basement hosted more than 700 individuals. Similar scenes happened in the churches of the UGCC across Ukraine; even in Kharkiv, the cathedral turned into a humanitarian headquarters and miraculously endured the shelling. The Patriarch emphasized that support for Ukraine diminishes over time as the world becomes accustomed to the war. Nevertheless, it is crucial to understand that this is the largest war since World War II — the largest in terms of the length of the front line, the intensity of the fighting, the number of military forces involved, and the number of casualties.
“The largest military armed conflict of our time is at risk of being forgotten. But the Ukrainian community, our Church, must be the voice of Ukraine to the whole world,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav and called on the audience not to let the world forget about the war in Ukraine because it is about the lives of millions of people.
His Beatitude pointed to the fact that each of us must mature in faith. “If I have not infused the day with God’s essence, then this day has secularized me,” he said. Therefore, we must nurture not only our spiritual life but also guide our children. Primarily, parents must lead a pious life themselves by attending church every Sunday and going to confession every month. Not only the church community but, above all, the Holy Spirit will help us mature in faith. “For your children to believe in God, you must believe in God because children look up to you,” said the Primate.
At the end of the meeting, His Beatitude Sviatoslav reminded us of Ukraine’s future restoration. He addressed the audience: “When Ukraine calls, wherever you are, answer the call for help! Because it is Ukrainians themselves who must rebuild Ukraine.”
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