As Ukraine marks the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic bishops are affirming Ukrainians' belief in "the triumph of God's truth" -- and the recognition that "true peace cannot exist without justice."
"Even amidst sorrow and ruin, we remain a people of hope. We believe in the Resurrection, for we know: God is with us -- with the persecuted, the oppressed, the mourning, and the suffering," said the permanent synod of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in a Feb. 24 appeal signed by Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, patriarchal head of the UGCC.
The bishops, currently meeting in Canada, reflected in their message on the Feb. 24, 2022, launch of the attack, which continues aggression Russia initiated in 2014 with assaults on Ukraine's Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The war has twice been declared a genocide in two joint reports from the New Lines Institute and the Raoul Wallenberg Center for Human Rights.
Since the 2022 invasion, at least 174,000 to 420,000 people have been killed during Russia's war, with civilian deaths reported to be severely undercounted, according to research by Sweden's Uppsala University. Those numbers do not include the 14,200-14,400 slain from 2014-2021, as estimated by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Currently, 3.7 million people are internally displaced in Ukraine, with 6.9 million seeking refuge abroad, "unable to return to lives and livelihoods that no longer exist," the U.N. stated in January.
At least 19,546 Ukrainian children have been forcibly deported by Russia -- although that number could be more than 700,000, according to Russian child commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova, who along with Russian leader Vladimir Putin is the subject of one of six International Criminal Court arrest warrants for war crimes.
Russian forces have also systematically tortured, sexually violated and executed Ukrainian civilians and combatants. Among the atrocity survivors are a rape victim OSV News interviewed in June 2023 in a village near Kyiv and UGCC priests Father Ivan Levitsky and Father Bohdan Geleta, released in June 2024 from 18 months of captivity during which they were "mercilessly tortured," as Major Archbishop Sviatoslav has previously said.
"The destruction, suffering, and trauma inflicted upon our nation are staggering," and Ukraine has "become a nation on the Way of the Cross," said the UGCC bishops in their appeal.
"Even if the war ended today, decades would be required to rebuild what has been damaged or destroyed: 3,500 school and university buildings, over 1,200 hospitals, 670 churches, thousands of kilometers of roads, hundreds of thousands of homes, power stations, and factories," they said.
Russia has brought "death, devastation, and the eradication of religious freedom," said the bishops, noting that 67 pastors of various Christian churches have been killed, with "clergy and faithful of various confessions" severely repressed by Russia -- which has demanded that Christians in occupied Ukraine, including Catholics, yield to the Russian Orthodox Church.
While Ukrainians have "learned to navigate the harsh realities of full-scale war" -- saving lives, rebuilding after attacks and remaining "connected across borders" -- the scars of Russia's war run far deeper than the "craters from rockets, mines, and drones," said the bishops.
"Even more difficult will be the restoration and healing of lives shattered by war," they said, pointing to the "grievous wounds" and "unseen pain of trauma" suffered by an untold number of Ukrainians.
Compounding that anguish is Russia's militaristic reeducation of captured Ukrainian children, who "are being raised to hate their homeland," said the bishops, referring to Russia's indoctrination of such children, many of whom are made to assemble Russian weapons and even, as teenagers, fight against Ukrainian soldiers.
With the war "a test of our humanity," Ukrainians have responded "with self-sacrifice and resolve," said the bishops, who expressed "deep reverence and gratitude" for Ukraine's defenders, as well as "heartfelt gratitude to Catholics around the world" and thanks for "the solidarity of people of goodwill."
Yet as calls for a ceasefire and peace deals accelerate, the bishops warned that "Ukraine is not merely a land -- it is its people."
"It is for their dignity and freedom that our best sons and daughters lay down their lives. And they do so not only for Ukraine but for the dignity and freedom of all people," they said. "This heroic sacrifice must never be forgotten, diminished, or betrayed."
As "the voice of the persecuted," the bishops said that they would ensure "in no peace agreement, in name only, will our faith, dignity, or freedom become a bargaining chip."
"True peace cannot exist without justice. An unjust truce is a criminal mockery that will only lead to greater injustice and suffering," they continued.
"Yet we, as Christians, know where this path leads -- to the Resurrection, to the fullness of life in the freedom and dignity of God's children," said the bishops. "We know that one morning, we will receive the long-awaited call: 'The war is over,' and we will offer our prayers of thanksgiving before the throne of the Almighty."
The meeting of the permanent synod of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church followed Major Archbishop Shevchuk's Feb. 15-21 Jubilee Year pastoral visit to the United States, with events in Philadelphia and Washington.
