“If the enemy kills us (and) sows death, let us serve life, let us honor human life from conception to natural death,” the Major Archbishop of Kiev stressed referring to the recent massacre at Bucha.  

Newsroom (12/04/2022 12:00 PM, Gaudium Press) It is true that an analyst might find the repeated statements of Msgr. Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholics, in reviling the bloody Russian invasion explicable, since he does not cease to be Ukrainian.

However, upon seeing the pictures of the civilians murdered by Russian soldiers in Bucha, his words find another echo and more solicitous ears in all his listeners:

“A mountain of bodies, rivers of blood, a sea of tears” is the current reality of Ukraine, as expressed, from Kiev, the Archbishop in a video message yesterday, April 4.

The Archbishop’s words come to his audience after the whole world has seen with horror the images of bodies of civilians in the city of Bucha and others from which the Russians have withdrawn: bodies thrown in the streets, in the yards of houses. Bodies that everything indicates were summarily executed, bodies whose hands are tied. In other words, evidence of possible war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Russian ‘saviors’.

The struggle of virtue against evil

In this bleak picture, the Archbishop makes a plea to practice virtues:

“We know that our vices and sins must be overcome by opposing virtues,” he said in the video. “Pride is fought with humility, greed is cured with sacrifice, laziness is dealt with diligence,” he stressed.

“Today we see terrible images. Terrible images of all that the occupier left on Ukrainian soil. We see mass graves of people who were shot in the back of the head. We see towns and villages destroyed. We see mutilated human destinies,” he expressed. “Therefore, we must get to work and fight.”

“If the enemy kills us (and) sows death, let us serve life, let us honor human life from conception to natural death,” he stressed.

“We see that today the enemy is robbing Ukrainians, stealing, looting.” In response, Ukrainians should be “generous and support those who need Christian charity.”

Where the Russians are “destroying everything,” Ukrainians should “build, get to work,” including starting spring planting if possible.

“Let us do good, and then evil will be defeated,” the Archbishop emphasized.

With information from Catholic News Service

Compiled by Camille Mittermeier