Patriarch Sviatoslav in Ivano-Frankivsk calling on the Ukrainian Nation to embrace God's peace in the face of the evil going on currently Ukraine.

Patriarch Sviatoslav in Ivano-Frankivsk calling on the Ukrainian Nation to embrace God’s peace in the face of the evil going on currently Ukraine.

“Today, more than ever before, our nation needs wisdom and the strength of non-violence, not the strength of a weapon, but that of God’s Word; strength which is not evil and strives to counter evil, the strength of God derived from His Word. This is the only strength which can provide liberation,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav in his homily during a Divine Liturgy in Ivano-Frankivsk.

The primate of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church stated that December 1st marks a referendum with which, “our nation has always held its ground about its identity, and that it desires to be a free and Godly nation.”

His Beatitude underlined Christ’s teaching that evil is a force which leads a person into slavery, and goodness is a force of God which liberates and turns a person toward the favor of God. Therefore, God’s Word and wisdom are of the utmost strength.

“That which always overcomes is not the sword, the weapon, but the strength of God’s Word. With this word, Christ speaks and destroys evil. Strength comes not from any army, but from God. God is He, who grants wisdom, knowledge, and intelligence,” he added.

Finally, the Patriarch of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church condemned all uses of violent force, especially toward peaceful protestors. “We implore our God to grant our entire society and all individuals His wisdom – to not submit to the shackles of evil, to embrace God’s peace and wisdom in order to liberate this nation from all that divides it, and with God’s strength build a path into the future.”