Ukraine church leader: All faithfull unite when facing evil

The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), Sviatoslav Shevchuk, visited Berlin this week. He took part in the St. Michael's Reception at the invitation of the German episcopate. The situation in Ukraine dominated this year's event. The head of the UGCC met with members of the Ukrainian diaspora in Berlin, local bishops and German officials, including Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

DW spoke with Shevchuk during his time in Berlin. 

DW: You've met the representatives of the Ukrainian diaspora in Berlin. What did you talk about?

Sviatoslav Shevchuk: The first question was thewar in Ukraine. It was plain to see how deeply people here are affected by what is happening in Ukraine. Many are uncomfortable with being here. People are longing for their homeland. There are 95,000 Ukrainians in Berlin alone, and that is a huge number. There is a great need for consolidation, and the church acts as a platform around which our people can unite.

With the war still ongoing, is there still any interreligious dialogue taking place in Ukraine?

When it comes to the church as a community, the foundation of church life, here we experience a very fruitful, active dialogue. The war showed that Russian bullets do not distinguish whether you are an Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, Jew or Muslim.

I recall that after those tragedies near Kyiv, in Bucha, in Irpin, when we were burying the innocently murdered and [standing] above a mass grave, everyone understood that in the grave we are all the same. All faithful unite when facing such obvious types of materialized evil.

If we talk about the church as an institution, then things are different. Institutional relationships exist between institutions, which can be more complex than personal ones.

In August, the Ukrainian parliament adopted a law regulating the activities of religious organizations affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church. Ukrainian churches will have nine months to sever their ties with Moscow. Pope Francis said the Christian churches "must not be touched" and criticized this law. Do you agree with him?

We recognize the right and the duty of the state to take care of national security in questions of religion. When there is a danger of manipulation, instrumentalization, militarization of any religious institution by the aggressor state (Russia - ed.), the state has the right and the duty to act.

That law must be read carefully. It is not a prohibitive law but rather a protective one. Today, there is a real need to protect the religious environment of Ukraine from the aggressor-state's manipulation. Let's be honest, the Moscow Patriarch has declared a holy war against Ukraine. Sadly, there are many people who blindly believe the words of this leader and take it as a command upon which to act. The Ukrainian state cannot just sit idly by.

In our opinion, this is exactly what this law aims to do. Now, we shall see how it will be implemented. Those who have claimed that they have already separated from Moscow must now prove it.

Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, prayers for peace in Ukraine have been sounding from the Vatican. But some statements by Pope Francis troubled many Ukrainians, even provoking their resentment. For instance, his words about the "spiritual greatness of Russia" and the "white flag." The pontiff later admitted the mistake, but why are these kinds of statements made so often?

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, we've been living in a kind of permanent media crisis. And Ukraine really does not understand the pope. Sometimes it is difficult for us to understand this as well, so we ask for clarification — both personally from Pope Francis and from the apostolic capital. Even to us, it was not always clear why, with the beginning of a full-scale invasion, the Holy See has adopted a neutral position.

But there are two types of neutrality — diplomatic and moral — and it is very important to distinguish between them. Yes, the Holy See is neutral in its diplomatic position and uses this neutrality for the benefit of Ukraine — to release our POWs, our children. Having this kind of channel of communication with the aggressor is sometimes necessary in order to save lives.

But it is not about moral neutrality. We feel that there is support for Ukraine on the part of the Holy See. It is expressed in many different dimensions. The pope condemned the war in Ukraine and clearly said that he is on Ukraine's side.

Of course, the pope can use words that simply perplex us. But his gestures are very clear and eloquent. His gestures in favor of supporting Ukraine over the past year were very clear.

Russians have banned the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in the occupied territories of Ukraine. Is it possible to help the people there? Are there any priests on duty left there?

When Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, the attitude of the occupying authorities toward religious communities varied a lot at times, depending on the occupation zone. But, subsequently, it has definitely worsened and become the same everywhere.

The Russians destroyed our parish in Melytopol, around which many other missionary centers revolved. They simply deported our priests. They were taken to the front line and just told: "Go." You can imagine what this transition moment was like. The priests said that at any moment a shot in the back would end their earthy life.

Our priests were also brutally arrested in the city of Berdyansk. They spent almost a year and a half in Russian captivity. They were treated as prisoners of war, held along with our military men and subjected to torture.

Today, there are no priests of ours in the occupied territories. But our people are still out there, especially the elderly, who are truly abandoned. 

Under the brutal conditions of Russian occupation, it is just heroic. We were sent a video of those prayers in Ukrainian language held in the occupied Donetsk. 

The church lives because people believe in God and keep the church in their hearts.

Translation from Ukrainian by Dmytro Kaniewski.