A few days before the first anniversary of Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine, the head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church spoke of 'gratitude and powerlessness' in the face of a blind, foolish, unholy war.
'Gratitude and Powerlessness'
America The Jesuit Review reported that Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the major archbishop of Kyiv-Halych in Ukraine, spoke with a small group of reporters in Rome via Zoom on Feb. 20 from Kyiv, a city he has only left a couple of times and only for a few days in the past year.
He stated that he had psychological trouble in departing Kyiv. Echoing the sentiments of many Ukrainians who either refuse to leave or have returned to severely damaged homes. Everyone begged him to come for the conference or that visit, but unfortunately, he could not leave Kyiv for longer than a week at a time. They all returned after a year, and now the President of the United States has also arrived.
Archbishop Shevchuk stated that while he could not comment on the political or military significance of the visit of Pres. Biden, or any other world leader, could say, "speaking on behalf of average citizens, we feel like we have not been forgotten and abandoned."
When asked about casualties sustained by clergy members due to the conflict, Archbishop Shevchuk reiterated his call to release two Eastern-rite Redemptorist priests. Those priests include Fr. Ivan Levitsky and Fr. Bohdan Geleta, who Russian troops had detained in the occupied city of Berdyansk in November.
Yet, the archbishop stated that he is proud of his bishops, priests, monks, and nuns who recognized Christ in those individuals injured by the conflict. They have come face to face with the living Christ in people without food, a place to call home, and any material possessions.
A Year of Invasion
According to PBS News Hour, the conflict in Ukraine, which began a year ago, has resulted in the deaths of thousands, the displacement of millions, the destruction of entire cities, and fears that the situation could escalate into a full-scale war between Russia and NATO.
On Feb. 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the beginning of an invasion of Ukraine from all three of the country's borders: the north, the east, and the south. According to him, the purpose of the "special military operation" is to "demilitarize" and "denazify" the country to protect ethnic Russians, prevent Kyiv from joining NATO, and maintain it as part of Russia's "sphere of influence."
Ukraine and the western nations view it as an illegitimate act of aggression against a country with a democratically elected government and a Jewish president whose relatives perished in the Holocaust.
On the first day of the invasion, a prominent Russian helicopter assault force seized an airfield on the outskirts of the capital city of Kyiv. CNN reported that this move threatened to turn the airport into a decisive bridge for the invading force to surge additional reinforcements, making it one of the most impressive examples of Ukrainian dexterity during the invasion.
The next night, Ukrainian special forces, backed by accurate artillery fire, broke into the base, killing hundreds of Russian paratroopers and destroying the runway. In its first phase, the Russian notion of operations, which had been so firmly rehearsed on table tops, was falling apart.
Related Article: Ukrainian Pastor Says 'God Is Sending Angels To Protect Us', Reveals Many Now Turning To Christ Amid War
