Recently His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) presented his new book – “Діялог лікує рани” (Dialogue Heals Wounds). The book is written as an interview between the Head of the UGCC SViatoslav and the editor of the Polish Catholic News Agency Krzysztof Tomaszek.
In his book – Dialogue Heals Wounds – His Beatitude Sviatoslav speaks about the war in Ukraine, Russian-Ukrainian relations against the background of this war, and the changes that have taken place in Ukraine during this period. He offers ten ideas for readers to mull over…
- When war broke out, many young people said that Ukraine would never go back, would never return to the past… and they were absolutely right! This is not a political or electoral question. The changes that have taken place are irreversible and there will be no return to post-Soviet reality.
- Even in Russia, the aggressor state, people say that by launching and supporting the war, Russia has lost Ukraine for good.
- Only now do many Ukrainians realize that we are a different nation and that we must count only on ourselves and no one else, that it’s up to us to defend our homes and build our future. Ukraine’s future is in our hands! Today, everything depends on us, and not on Russia.
- Each Ukrainian region has its own identity and specificity. Now, as never before, we feel and understand that Ukraine stands united for the idea of freedom and independence.
- Changes are usually spontaneous; nobody plans them, so even Ukrainians are surprised when they happen, not to speak of our neighbours and our own and foreign politicians.
- Today, we’re witnessing the birth of something new in Ukraine. This, in turn, gives birth to optimism, because it’s much better than what we had yesterday.
- The Revolution of Dignity was a turning point in a long historical process and a strong response to outside aggression. Ukrainian citizens united under the slogan: “Never again will we be treated like slaves!” Today, Ukrainians pose the following questions: “How do we build a new Ukraine? On which foundations should a free and independent Ukraine be created?
- Not only do the hopes and pains that we suffer during this war constitute a priceless experience for Ukraine and Ukrainians, but they can also be shared with our neighbours, both in the West and in the East.
- Despite new challenges and difficulties, there is hope. We’ve gone through many positive and irreversible changes. We cannot and will not return to the Soviet Union, although there are still too many people who recall this period with some nostalgia.
- My predecessor, His Beatitude Lubomyr Husar once said that for modern dictators, hungry people are not as dangerous as people who firmly believe in dignity. You can feed the hungry, but when it comes to dignity, either this dignity is granted naturally, or the people will lose their lives. You cannot force anyone to live in a country where human dignity is trampled daily.
