The Bishop of the Diocese of Odesa-Simferopol, Bishop Stanislav Shirokoradiuk, gave an interview to the Ukrainian news site suspilne.media, commenting on the situation of the Catholic Church in this war.
Editor (03/01/2023 11:32 PM, Gaudium Press) The Catholic Church is the second Christian denomination in Ukraine in number of believers, and has helped the communities a lot during the war. Below we will cover some points from the interview of Msgr. Stanislav Shirokoradiuk.
He explained how the Church helps people affected by the war: “First of all, the Church must pray for people, pray with people. And that is very important. Secondly, preach the truth to the whole world, what is happening in our land, what is happening to our people. The third is humanitarian aid.”
As for the priests who remained in the Russian-occupied territories, he said:
“Our priests are with their faithful. Of course, it is difficult. They are persecuted, monitored, but so far they have not been prevented from holding services. […] They do everything to make sure that the church survives the occupation and continues to fulfill its mission. […] We do everything so that our priests behave as quietly as possible, as simply as possible. For one word, you can not only be expelled, but sent to prison. Therefore, they must be careful and carry out only their spiritual tasks…[…] Cameras are placed at the entrance of the churches. Everything is controlled: who enters, who you talk to. But we are doing everything to keep the church going.
He pointed out that the Catholic Church in Russia is the quietest. “She doesn’t want to risk her position. If they say what they really think, tomorrow there will be no Catholic Church in Russia. So they understand and pray for us, but they live in a totalitarian state where they cannot express their opinion.”
Regarding the attitude of the Russians themselves toward the war in Ukraine, the bishop said:
“I hoped they would wake up sooner. But faith is not dead – I still hope that common sense still speaks. Watch how the cities and people are dying, and they don’t think about who this spilled blood falls on. Christians know the Church’s teaching that innocent bloodshed demands vengeance from Heaven. […] When Pilate said of Jesus Christ, ‘I do not want to be guilty of the blood of this innocent man,’ the crowd shouted, ‘His blood be on us and on our children.’ The Russians do the same thing when they support aggression. They say the same thing today: ‘Blood fall on us and on our children. I think the Russians will think about who is responsible for the blood that was spilled, for the children who were killed and maimed, for all the people who suffered. But that awakening is very slow. But it will be. I don’t lose hope.”
Bishop Stanislav Shirokoradiuk believes that the victory will be Ukraine’s. “It cannot be any other way. Why? There is a struggle between good and evil, darkness and light. The light always wins. As Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew said, this is an evil war. To have so much hatred from people, without reason, without foundation, to shed so much blood. This is something inhuman. People should be responsible for their actions. God is on our side and he is a just judge.”
Compiled by Angelica Vecchiato
