“Ukraine will win”, the message of the Primate of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

What is the reason for your official visit to France?

I thank God for being able to respond to the courtesy visit of Mgr Éric de Moulins-Beaufort, President of the Conference of Bishops of France (CEF) and Father Hugues de Woillemont, Secretary General, who visited Ukraine in September 2022, after the departure of Russian forces, in the vicinity of Kyiv. They saw the wounds of the Ukrainian people. When leaving, I told them to testify in France about what they had seen and heard. In Paris, during my meeting with the President of the Republic, Mr. Emmanuel Macron asked me why Ukraine continued to fight. “Why are you resisting? What is the secret of the resilience, courage and indomitability of Ukrainians? “. I responded on behalf of Ukrainian youth, because the weight of the war rests on their shoulders. There are values ​​without which life has no meaning, such as human dignity and freedom. They are fighting because they do not want to return to a restored Soviet Union. I also met the Minister of the Interior, Mr. Bruno Retailleau, to discuss the fate of Ukrainian refugees in France.

Thousands of Ukrainians, mostly women and children, have fled the country. France welcomes 118,000 Ukrainian refugees…

Since the start of the war, the number of Ukrainians on French soil has doubled. France warmly welcomed the refugees. The Church tries to be a “good mother” by promoting integration and works for the well-being of newcomers. For us, legality and respect for human beings are very important, because they protect against crime, in particular human trafficking of which refugees can be victims.

Even within the borders, there are still many internally displaced people. How is the Church facing the humanitarian challenge?

Thanks to solidarity, we have won on the humanitarian front. After almost 1,000 days of war in Ukraine, no one has died of hunger or cold. Russia is systematically destroying energy infrastructure. Every winter, the Russians try to freeze the Ukrainians to death. Thank God, there are associations in France like the Œuvre d'Orient which save lives. I feel great solidarity from the Catholics of France. Indifference kills, but empathy saves lives. Ukraine is tired, but not defeated. Ukraine is wounded, but resilient! She fights. Ukraine will win!

In Ukraine, what are the links with the faithful inside the occupied territories?

Our Church is unfortunately prohibited in regions under occupation. There is not a single Catholic left! In Donetsk, the Greek-Catholic cathedral was closed by the authorities. The faithful immediately reacted by comparing this closure to the sealing of Christ's tomb by the Romans. But Christ will break the seals and we will open the doors of our Church. Priests, outside the occupied territories, try to keep in touch with the faithful who remained there to encourage them to organize clandestine prayer meetings — as in the Soviet era.

And with the faithful of the diaspora?

The situation is different, because our Church exists wherever there are Ukrainians. We are trying to send our priests on missions to Ukrainians who are going to Europe. In September 2024, I spent a month visiting communities in Poland, Germany, Sweden, Turkey, Italy and now France. Thousands of people came to participate in these meetings. In Stockholm, I stood for over three hours blessing the faithful. These people are hurt, they need to be surrounded by their Church. The head of the Church then becomes the transmission belt to bring them together.

The Ukrainian Parliament (the Verkhovna Rada) passed in August 2024 a law “on the protection of the constitutional order in the field of activities of religious organizations” to counter the influence of the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine. What do you think?

The Ukrainian state has a duty to protect religious organizations from the Russian aggressor. In the confessional environment, a dialogue took place between the Ukrainian government authorities and the Council of Churches composed of Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Jewish and Muslim organizations. We have formulated the following four principles:

1. The Ukrainian state is a secular state. But there must be no separation between the state and religious organizations. On the contrary, cooperation must take place for the greater good of citizens.
2. All organizations, large or small, have the same obligations to the state. We are all diverse and all equal. This assumes that there is no state religion or banned churches.
3. Churches must not interfere in the affairs of the State and the State must not interfere in the affairs of the Church.
4. All religions are equal vis-à-vis the State when it comes to the security of the country. Russia today uses religion to transform it into a weapon. Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, has proclaimed war against Ukraine and claims that in the name of this holy war, people can kill. It is a phenomenon of dehumanization. He promises that whoever kills Ukrainians while fighting on the front will obtain forgiveness for all his sins. Imagine what a Ukrainian from the Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate must think when he hears the words of this leader!

Do you understand the Pope's position to remain neutral in this conflict. Are you having discussions on this subject with the Vatican?

Ukrainians do not understand why the Pope does not take a more clear position. They would like the Vatican to support Ukraine forcefully, like France does! How can you be neutral when you kill innocent people? I've been trying to answer this question for 1000 days.

We distinguish two forms of neutrality: diplomatic neutrality and moral neutrality. As far as the Vatican is concerned, neutrality is diplomatic but by no means moral. This allows the Holy Father to maintain contacts with both Ukraine and Russia. This provides extremely significant life-saving capabilities and opportunities. After each visit, I send the Pope lists of prisoners. If the Vatican maintains this diplomatic neutrality, from a moral point of view, the Pope is on the side of the innocent victim. Lately, his statement has been very strong: “ Let the air attacks against the civilian population, who are always the hardest hit, stop. It's enough to kill innocent people! “. The Catholic Church provides support and assistance to the Ukrainian people in their suffering.

Can you share with us the Hope you have for Ukraine? and for the Greek-Catholic Church?

I will rely on a concrete case. After three days of war, the city was surrounded by Russian troops. The front stopped 20 kilometers from my home. The self-defense organization in our neighborhood managed to push back the groups who attacked our cathedral. One of the boys from this self-defense organization called me to say: “Ukraine will win.”

The Russians behave with great savagery towards people from the occupied territories. There is a lot of hatred in Ukraine. We cannot allow it to occupy our hearts. The ability to forgive and love one's homeland must be stronger. He who is dominated by his own hatred, his strength withers very quickly. Hatred dries up and deprives the hearts of men of vital blood. Because Confucius said: “If you hate your enemy, your enemy has already won victory in your heart. » Through our spirit and our will, we must change hatred into courage. The action of the Holy Spirit transforms human courage into Hope. This spiritual front in Ukraine is important, even decisive.