Ukraine’s leading Catholic archbishop says an independent Ukraine is synonymous with religious freedom.
Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk gave an address to mark the 122nd week of the full-scale Russian invasion of his country. He highlighted that religious freedom, along with other freedoms, disappears with Russian occupation.
"An independent Ukraine is synonymous with religious freedom," Shevchuk said. "After all, where the occupying Russian authorities come, any freedom, including religious freedom, disappears."
In his video message, Shevchuk also said that recent fighting has been marked by Russia’s “war crimes against the civilian population of Ukraine”.
There have been increased aerial attacks by both sides in the past few months, and intense fighting continues in the east of the country.<br><br><strong>RELATED: <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/what-life-is-really-like-for-ukraines-children-and-youth/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">What life is really like for Ukraine’s children and youth</mark></a></strong>
In the Sumy Oblast region, Shevchuk accused the Russians of using drones to deliberately attack an evacuation transport that volunteers were planning to use to take local population out of the vulnerable border area.
“Blood, tears, suffering from the Ukrainian land reach the heavens,” the major archbishop said.
His comments followed a peace summit organised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Switzerland that coincided with the G7 meeting taking place last week in Italy. At the same time, a meeting of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organisations took place with the ambassadors of the G7 “Big Seven” countries in Kyiv.
“During our discussion, in particular, attention was focused on two issues that, according to international observers, could be challenges for religious freedom in Ukraine,” Shevchuk said.
“The first is Moscow’s attempt to use the religious factor to manipulate the religious feelings of believers. It is obvious that our State has the right and duty to protect the religious environment of Ukraine from manipulation, from the instrumentalisation of the issue of religion by the aggressor.”<br><br>The other concern discussed, he said, was the issue of military chaplaincy versus <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/dont-forget-to-help-desperate-ukraine-clergy-says-bishop/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">clergy being able to cater for the spiritual needs of the civilian population</mark></a>:
“It is known that today clergymen of all denominations do not have the legal right to [excemptions] during mobilisation," Shevchuk said. "So, how is it possible, on the one hand, to provide for the needs of the military chaplaincy, and on the other hand, not to curtail the spiritual care of Churches and religious organisations over the civilian population of Ukraine?”
As a result, he said that at the meeting the representatives of the various Churches shared their thoughts on how to "conduct dialogue with the Ukrainian authorities in order to reach a certain understanding in this area".
He added: “Obviously, we argued that for all Churches, believers of various denominations and religions, an independent Ukraine is synonymous with religious freedom."
At the meeting of the G7 nations — US, UK, France, Germany, Japan, Italy and Canada — the respective leaders issued a joint communiqué that pledged to loan $75 billion in military aid to Ukraine by the end of the year.
“We remain determined to dispel any false notion that time is on Russia’s side, that destroying infrastructure and livelihoods has no consequences for Russia, or that Russia can prevail by causing Ukraine to fail economically,” the leaders’ statement declared.
In addition, Zelenskyy and United States President Joe Biden signed a 10-year security pact at the G7 summit, signalling the <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/head-of-ukrainian-catholic-church-visits-us-on-behalf-of-his-crucified-people/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">US long-term commitment to Ukraine</mark></a>.
Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.<br><br><em>Photo: Newly elected 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, Ukraine, 27 March 2011. The election of Shevchuk at the helm of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church was confirmed by Pope Benedict XVI on 25 March. (Photo by GENYA SAVILOV/AFP via Getty Images.)</em>
