CWN - Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk has insisted that the struggle in Ukraine is the result of “direct aggression and invasion,” and not a civil war.
The leader of the Byzantine-rite Ukrainian Catholic Church spoke to reporters after the Ukrainian bishops completed their ad limina visits to Rome. In his official address to the visiting bishops, Pope Francis had referred to the violence in Ukraine as a “fratricidal conflict,” and called for action to restore peace, without pinning the blame for the conflict on Russia.
But Archbishop Shevchuk said that his country has been the victim of Russian aggression, and “we expect the whole Christian world to take our side.” He added that the Russian Orthodox Church has been a “powerful weapon” for Moscow, and the stand taken by the Moscow patriarchate—which has blamed the Ukrainian Catholic Church for stirring up the conflict—has been an impediment to ecumenical work.
Archbishop Shevchuk said that the Ukrainian Catholic Church wants to be “good neighbors,” and hopes for a restoration of talks with the Russian Orthodox Church. But at the moment there is no dialogue, he said. He also said that all Christians should work for an end to the bloodshed in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Catholic leader said that he and his fellow bishops were encouraged by their meeting with Pope Francis. Although the Pope avoided any hint of political involvement in the conflict, and insisted that his appeal for peace was aimed at all parties, Archbishop Shevchuk reported that the Pope had told the Ukrainian bishops: “I’m shoulder-to-shoulder with you; I’m at your service.”
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