Major Archbishop Shevchuk: “The war in Ukraine has caused many conversions”
During a visit to the headquarters of the Spanish national office of ACN, the primate of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church spoke of the role of priests as “wounded healers” in the context of the war in Ukraine.
“This is the most significant period of conversion in the recent history of our nation,” said Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, while visiting the national office of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) in Spain, during the recent meeting of the Permanent Synod of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, which was held in Madrid.
“Ukraine is defending peace in Europe with its own blood. This is not a metaphor, this is reality,” he said, regarding the current conflict in his country. This war, he added, “has forced everybody to ask themselves existential questions: Why? Does my pain have a meaning? Is there hope? Where is God in the midst of this war? And there are no answers to these questions outside of the Christian Faith. That is why this time of pain is also a kairos, a time of grace during which we are seeing large-scale conversions.”
According to figures shared by the Major Archbishop, the war has transformed the religious demography of the country. The percentage of citizens who belong to traditional Orthodox Churches has dropped from 70% to around 52%. The Greek Catholic Church, on the other hand, though still a minority, has grown from around 8% of the population to 12%.
The pastoral significance of pain
Regarding the Ukrainian Church’s current mission, Major Archbishop Shevchuk spoke of the pastoral significance of this painful period. “This is the work we all share, every priest in every parish. We are in mourning. It is painful to preside over countless funerals every day; to bury young people and children, it takes a deep toll on you. Each one of the bishops carries within them the pain of their own people, which we have to share.”
The primate highlighted that “we can console those people who are not looking for miracles, but for presence, the sacrament of the presence of the Church through the priest”. This presence becomes clearer the closer one gets to the front line. “When the state orders the evacuation of civilians for safety reasons, the priest is always the last to leave.”
The forgotten war
Regarding the apparent lack of international interest for a conflict that is already in its fifth year, Major Archbishop Shevchuk admits that “it hurts us deeply that the world forgets this war. Sometimes we get the feeling that the world does not understand us, that it doesn’t get the scale of this tragedy. There are rivers of blood running through Ukraine every day.”
ACN standing with Ukraine since the beginning
The situation is also very difficult for the clergy. According to a recent survey conducted by the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, over half of its priests live below the poverty line, with 38% saying they are unable to buy clothes, and 3% struggling to buy food. Despite these challenges, “92% of those surveyed said they are happy serving our people. That brought tears to my eyes,” the Major Archbishop said, stressing that “the priests have to listen, to accompany and, sometimes, simply remain in silence. What can you say to a mother who has just lost her son?”
Faced with this situation, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church launched an ongoing training and psycho-spiritual rehabilitation programme, with the support of ACN, “so that priests and religious can offer adequate pastoral care. They are truly ‘wounded healers’. This project has high demand in the dioceses.” The leader of the UGCC believes that “the war will end, because evil is not eternal. The Lord is eternal, and love is eternal,” he said, calling on the world to “pray hard for our people to be freed from the slavery of war. Today, in Ukraine, hope is real and palpable. In Ukraine, we pray for peace every day.”
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