Videomessaggio del Capo e Padre della Chiesa greco-cattolica ucraina nella 219 ª settimana di guerra su vasta scala, 26 aprile 2026
Christ is risen!
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ!
Once again, we are counting the days, the nights, the weeks of this massive, full-scale war—a war that is a tragedy not only for the Ukrainian people, but also for Europe and all of humanity.
This week was yet another week of nightly Russian attacks on our cities and villages. Heavy combat continues on the front lines. The military reports that Russian attacks have only escalated with the change in weather conditions.
We were particularly distressed this week by the events in our city of Dnipro, where a rocket and a Shahed drone struck a residential building directly. At least two people were killed, and about a dozen were injured. The enemy is deliberately targeting our hospitals and railways. In particular, medical facilities in the long-suffering city of Sumy were deliberately targeted. Yet, against the backdrop of this pain and suffering, the Ukrainian people are once again demonstrating the utmost courage this week.
This week, we commemorate the greatest man-made disaster in modern history. Today, this Sunday, marks the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl tragedy. And this was not merely a human failure. This tragedy was caused by the Soviet system.
And unfortunately, as we revisit these tragic pages of European and world history, as we mark their 40th anniversary, we see that Russia is once again using nuclear power facilities as a means of blackmailing the international community. It was in Ukraine that Russia first began seizing energy facilities by military force. In 2014, this happened in Sevastopol, in Crimea. We also know that it was from the Chernobyl zone that the full-scale attack on Ukraine began in 2022. And the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant became the culmination of these unprecedented Russian attacks on nuclear facilities.
We want the world—Europe, Ukraine, humanity—to understand that such means must never be used to blackmail people. Because radiation knows no borders.
That is why today the whole world is called upon not only to remember this tragedy, but to do everything possible to ensure that nothing like this happens in our time. Forty years ago, this man-made disaster was caused by the Soviet system, and today the Russian militaristic system is attempting to repeat this type of threat against modern humanity. That is why I invite the whole world, all people of goodwill, to light a candle in remembrance today. Today at 8 PM Kyiv time, light a candle in your homes and remember those heroic liquidators who shielded the world from the “Soviet” atom and radiation with their own lives. And we also remember all those who are working today to prevent such disasters from ever happening again.
May the memory of the heroic Chernobyl liquidators live forever. May God protect Ukraine, Europe, and the world from such tragedies. But let the world hear that Ukraine stands. Ukraine fights. Ukraine prays!
Another major international event occurred this week. The International Security Forum was held in Kyiv once again. This is a civic initiative that has been organized annually by Ukraine’s civil society since 2007. In recent days, prominent figures from around the world have also arrived in Ukraine—intellectuals, Nobel laureates, and individuals with proven experience in addressing various contemporary security challenges.
It was very comforting to see that, amidst the collapse of the security architecture established in Europe and the world after World War II, new foundations are being sought to build a shared, secure home. And here, Ukraine is not merely an object of protection, but can become a platform where a new security model for Europe and the entire world will be built.
Interestingly, it was precisely the voice of the Church that was so important to intellectuals, public figures, and statesmen from around the world. It was so important for us today to understand that even in circumstances that provoke xenophobia—and at times, even in European countries, Ukrainophobia—there is a light of hope. And that prophetic voice speaking to the powerful of this world today is the voice of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, who once again declared to the whole world that our God, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the Prince of Peace; and that our God is against wars in the modern world; that it is completely unacceptable to use God’s name to justify war in the modern world.
Moreover, the Pope reminded everyone that our Lord does not hear the prayers of those who wage war, who pray for show, but whose hands, as the prophet Isaiah says, are full of blood. We know how this prophetic voice of the successor of the Apostle Peter today reaches high offices in various countries of the world. But hearing this voice in Kyiv was essential for us to expose Russian military belligerence, the attempt to use war as a means to impose its will on others. Russian militarism has now been unmasked by the voice of the Universal Church.
It was also important for us today to recall that true Christian solidarity is the remedy for the national self-interest that at times gives rise to new political systems in the world today. And we are glad that today this solidarity truly inspires and touches the hearts of the Catholic community in Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary in particular. And we are glad that representatives of these states, peoples, and communities also participated in this Security Forum.
Today, in accordance with the rhythms of the Eastern Paschal season, we celebrate the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women. We honor the dignity of women in history and in the tradition of Christ’s Church. It is so important for us today to remember the dignity of Ukrainian women in the midst of this war. Women who are heroes, who today sometimes even take up arms to defend their homeland. Women-mothers, who protect human life from the moment of conception until natural death. Women, who today watch over the upbringing of their children and of society as a whole. It was to women that the Lord God entrusted the good news of His Resurrection.
Today we thank all women, mothers, and teachers of the Christian faith who share their faith with their children and thus continue to spread the message to the world that life will always triumph over death, and that truth is always stronger than even the most powerful lie.
It is before Ukrainian women today that we bow our heads and pray for them before our Lord, the Almighty God and Father. And we pray: God, bless! Bless our women, mothers, and women warriors. God, bless the Ukrainian people and our homeland with Your just, 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.
Christ is risen! Indeed, He is risen!
