UGCC Head: “We want to build relations with the Polish nation in the spirit of mutual forgiveness”

Monday, 11 March 2013, 18:18
“We state that we want to build a relationship between the Ukrainian and the Polish nations in the spirit of mutual reconciliation and forgiveness, so that our past does not poison our future. After all, we are two brethren peoples, sons of one Catholic Church. And together we should acknowledge our sins. Mutually we should apologize to one another, embrace and build a common European future.” UGCC Primate His Beatitude Sviatoslav (Shevchuk) stated this (audio) on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Volyn tragedy.

“We state that we want to build a relationship between the Ukrainian and the Polish nations in the spirit of mutual reconciliation and forgiveness, so that our past does not poison our future.  After all, we are two brethren peoples, sons of one Catholic Church.  And together we should acknowledge our sins.  Mutually we should apologize to one another, embrace and build a common European future.”  UGCC Primate His Beatitude Sviatoslav (Shevchuk) stated this (audio) on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Volyn tragedy.

UGCC Head reminds all that this was truly a tragedy for the Ukrainian and the Polish nations which took place in 1943 during World War II.  The tragedy lies in the massive killings of Poles and Ukrainians.

“The wounds caused by this conflict hurt both the Ukrainians and the Poles to this day.  Therefore we must beseech God for the necessary grace in order to heal these wounds. The best method of healing the wounds and honoring the victims of this conflict from both sides is: truth about these events – truth before the face of Jesus Christ, who is the Truth,” emphasizes UGCC Major Archbishop.

Therefore, he continues, considering this pain which renews itself so many times in the bodies of Ukrainian and Polish people, the Synod of Bishops of our Church paid special attention to this tragic event in order that we, on the one hand, ask the Lord God to grant us healing, and, on the other hand, that we do not let the politicians manipulate us through this pain, which both of our nations carry within us.

“One cannot justify even one single killing, which happened for whatever reasons  from whichever side, because this is a transgression of God’s commandment “Do not kill!” appealed the Head and Father of the Church to all faithful and concerned.

He emphasizes that UGCC bishops do not want to engage in history polemics and also do not wish to pronounce anyone guilty.  “Our task – to provide a Christian evaluation of those facts in order that we can truly heal our wounds, memories through mutual forgiveness,” concluded His Beatitude Sviatoslav.

UGCC Department of Information

LATEST NEWS
PUBLICATIONS

We can imagine what the prayer of the prisoners in the Russian torture centers in the Ukrainian Kharkiv region was like – Head of the UGCC on the 206th day of the war 17 September

A vast cemetery, a mass burial, was found near the city of Izyum, in which more than 400 innocently killed and tortured people have already been...

MEDIA
Prev Next