His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, warned Friday that tensions between Russia and Ukraine are symptomatic of a much larger problem between Russia and the West.
“We feel we have reached the peak of a dangerous military escalation and aggression against Ukraine,” Archbishop Shevchuk said during an online conference organized by the pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need.
“It is true that our country has been attacked by Russia for 8 years, but the escalation we are witnessing today is not a simple continuation of the war in Donbass or a consequence of the annexation of Crimea,” the archbishop said. “We are witnessing an escalation of conflict between Russia and the Western world, especially the U.S.”
“In this conflict, Ukraine is only one part of the entire world crisis landscape. Of course, we are afraid,” Shevchuk added. “Due to our historical and geographical position, we are the most exposed country. We are on the front line.”
Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk takes part in his enthronement ceremony as the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church at the Patriarchal Cathedral in Kiev. (GENYA SAVILOV/AFP via Getty)
“But the Ukrainian crisis is not just a problem for Ukrainians,” he declared. “It has consequences for the whole world, for the EU, the USA, and NATO member countries.”
The 51-year-old archbishop noted that “a possible full-scale military invasion of Russian troops can happen at any time,” a situation that is taking a serious psychological toll on Ukraine’s population of 44 million.
“War is the worst answer to problems. Our hope today is that with the prayers and support of the international community, we can all say no to war,” he stated. “We are witnessing with our own eyes a true idolatry of the violence that is rising in the world. We, as Christians, must say out loud, no to military action as a solution to problems.”
As Christians, we must be “preachers of hope,” Shevchuk said. “We believe that God is with us. We must have this light and be heralds of good news to people who are afraid, disoriented, hungry, and cold.”
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