Epistle of the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of liberation of Ukraine from the German fascist occupants

Epistle of the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of liberation of Ukraine from the German fascist occupants

"Now this day will be a memorial to you" (Exodus 12: 14). The date of liberation of Ukraine from the German fascist invasion will always be for us the day of prayerful commemoration of the millions of deceased, who became victims of one of the most awful wars in the history of humanity.  At the same time this is the day of God's power   (Psalms 110: 3), "This is the day which the Lord has made" (Psalms 118: 24). For Ukraine it became the completion of incredible sufferings, great difficulties and more than human trials that the war had brought about. 

Many times our land had a rough time from the invasive onsets.    The cities and villages were ruined, the flowerings fields were turned into the fire sites. But our people that had always been inspired for the feat by the Holy Church, won their right for being in hard struggle.

Anyway, our long-suffering land had known no more awful occupation than the fascist one.  During the Hitler's reign 714 cities and 28 000 villages were burnt, 10 millions of people were left homeless.  The enemies shot and murdered at the concentration camps more than 195 thousand of people in Kyiv, some 250 thousands people in Zhytomyr region, some half a million in the region of Lviv, and more than 4 million of civilians altogether in Ukraine.  Babyn Yar, where 100 thousand of people of different nationalities were executed, became personification of the sinful essence of the fascism.    

Ukraine was disjoint, and a part of its southern and northern lands came to the satellite countries of Germany.   Our Motherland was devoid of the statehood. The new masters planned to export to the Third Reich about 12-14 million tons of wheat, more than Stalin did. The bread was withdrawn in great amounts; uncountable echelons carried livestock, seed, vegetables, oil and even soil - the fertile Ukrainian black soil to the West. Ukraine was fated to the new famines.    2,5 million of people were deported to slave labor, not only of the working age, but the teenagers and children. 

The sorrowful truth of war is that not all the Ukrainians fought on the same side of the fence. There were those who looked at the compatriots through the weapon sight, fighting either under the German standards, or under the standards of various rebellious groupings. The ideological differences brought about the internal national conflict, when affiliation to one or another political ideological grouping became the verdict for its numerous victims.   

There is no justification for enmity, when, as Our Lord Jesus Christ said  ""They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother." (Luke 12: 53). Since the ancient Russian times the Holy Church, calling the people to unity and Christian love, had severely condemned the fratricidal intestine strifes, at which, as the chronicler said, "The brother carved sedition for the brother".   It is the discord between the Rus that led the formerly powerful Kyivan state to weakening and division, making it easy mark for the invaders.  

The political and ideological contradictions between the Ukrainians burst out from time to time even now, including the discussions concerning estimation of the realia of the Great Patriotic War.  Sometimes they transform into sharp collisions.  The Church addresses all thecitizens of Ukraine with the words of the Holy Scripture: "God has called us to peace."  (1 Corinthians 7: 15). Hatred of neighbor, whatever ideological grounding it was based upon, deserves unanimous denouncement. Remembering the sorrowful lessons of the past, we should avoid enmity, foster unity and brotherly love.  In this is the guarantee of the very existence of our state, its victories and achievements.  

The World War II brought about great sufferings to people.  Every minute 13 people died at its fronts, 790 people died every hour, 13 thousand - every day. 60 million of residents - that is the price of the God-hating and man-hating ideology of those who kindled its fire. It was an attempt against the very humanity, against the God-commanded laws of the universe.  70 years have passed from its beginning, but there can be neither oblivion, no justification to this crime against God and man. 

One cannot recall without pain and anger the tragedy that the Ukrainian nation had survived.   Altogether 5 million and 265 thousand civilians and war prisoners in the occupied Ukraine had died from hunger, cold, torments and mass murders.  Millions of patriot soldiers gave their lives for liberation of Ukraine and sacrificially fulfilled their Christian duty, having laid their lives for their neighbor.    (see.: John 15: 13).

Raising the prayer to the Lord for the martyrs of war, the Church calls to honor their feat and stresses that any ideological doctrine has no right to neglect morality, to attempt against freedom and  life of man, his God-granted rights.   The lesson of the World War II testifies to what awful moral fall the renunciation of Christian moral principles may lead.  The result of such renunciation is Apocalypses.    
In the years of war the Church revealed itself as a great reunification power, the source of spiritual strength and patriotism.  The same had happened throughout its thousand-year history - both at the times of God-blessed peace and in the periods of hard trials.   Whatever pestilent winds blew over our motherland, the precious heritage of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Volodymyr, the Holy Orthodox faith led it to victories. This spiritual stem could not be broken by any foreign rule, any historical tempests.   .

The Great Patriotic War brought to the people of Ukraine and the entire Soviet not just a victory over fascism, but the victory over the God-fighting atheism of the communism system: those who do not see may see (see John 9: 39). These very years became life-changing for the outlook of millions of Soviet people. They returned to the faith of their grandfathers.   The post-war period can be called the new baptism of Rus, since the people's clarification and deep disappointment in the bolshevist false teaching led finally to the down fall of the God-fighting atheist system, the new being of Ukraine - an independent state where the Holy Orthodoxy revives. 
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church constantly prays for the peaceful and prosperous life in our country and all over the world, on consent and mutual understanding between the peoples and especially between the compatriots, on augmentation of the brotherly love and moral Christian principles. Only on that condition we may get rid of "all troubles" (Psalms 53: 9) and enrich ourselves "in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the love" (2 Corinthians 8: 7).

Memory eternal and deathless fame to those who gave their lives for liberation of Ukraine from the German fascist invaders! Many years to heroes-veterans!  
"Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord " (1 Thimothy 1: 2) to our blessed Motherland and all our God-loving people!
 

† Volodymyr,
Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine,
Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church