ROME — Ukraine’s war of resistance against the Russian invader is a spiritual battle against Satan, declared Ukrainian Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk Monday.
“A mountain of corpses, rivers of blood, a sea of tears — these are the three words that today describe the icon of contemporary Ukraine,” Archbishop Shevchuk stated in a video message Monday morning.
Ukraine continues to suffer from Russia’s “missile terrorism,” the archbishop said, as every night “our cities are fired upon by Russian cruise missiles, which destroy houses, kill people, destroy the critical infrastructure of the economy, the economy of Ukraine.”
Yet Ukraine’s heroic resistance “shows the whole world that there are some values — such as love for the homeland, love for God and neighbor — for which it is worth giving your life, because it is the road to immortality,” Shevchuk said.
The archbishop went on to insist that Ukraine’s battle “is a spiritual struggle against evil, against the devil and his servants. And we see that all the rules of spiritual invisible warfare today are the reality of the Christians of Ukraine.”
The only way to overcome evil, he asserted, is by doing good, by opposing vice with virtue, lies with truth, hatred with love.
“Today we see horrible footage,” he said. “Terrible images of everything that the occupier left on Ukrainian soil. We see mass graves of people who were shot in the back of the head. We see destroyed cities and villages. We see mutilated human destinies.”
“That is why we must get to work and fight,” he declared.
“If the enemy kills us, sows death, let us serve life, honor human life from conception to natural death,” he insisted.
“We see that today the enemy is robbing Ukrainians, robbing, looting. Let us instead be benefactors. Let us be generous and support those who need works of Christian charity,” he added.
While the enemy works to destroy everything, let us “build, get to work,” he said.
“Let’s get to work,” he exhorted. “I appeal to our refugees and forcible displaced persons: Get to work. Let’s create new jobs together. Let’s look for work. Because to work, to have the right to work, belongs to the dignity of the human person.”
“Today I want to appeal to everyone who feels that they can do something good. Let us do good and then evil will be defeated,” he said.
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