“In these minutes, when blood is shed on the Ukrainian land, when Patriarch Josyf’s words of ‘mountains of corpses and rivers of blood’ are repeated, in all our cities, along all the banks of our beautiful Dnipro River — from the Belarusian border through Kyiv and all the way to the Black Sea — no one has the right to stay silent,” he stated.
“Because speech can save lives,” he added. “While silence can kill.”
“Today I ask everyone who will listen to us, everyone who will hear our voice from our bleeding Kyiv: fight for peace, protect those who need your help, let us do everything so that the aggressor stops and withdraws from Ukrainian land. Whoever you are: heads of states or parliaments, politicians, military, church leaders, do your part, speak out in support of Ukraine,” he said.
Saturday marked the third day of fighting in Ukraine, where the death toll among both military and civilians continues to rise. Swaths of Ukrainians are fleeing from the eastern part of the country to the west, or to neighboring Poland. People in the cities of Kyiv and Lviv have been forced to seek safety in shelters or subway stations.
“To all those who today in various forms are supporting Ukraine, in the name of our people, in the name of our nation, in the name of the encircled Kyiv where there is fighting on the city streets, I would like to say: heartfelt thanks,” Shevchuk said.
The major archbishop also showed his appreciation for the solidarity Ukraine has received from Pope Francis, which he said has helped mobilize the support of the international community.