ROME — Ukrainian Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk asked journalists Wednesday to expose the extent of the evil being perpetrated by Russia against Ukraine.
“Evil always hides in the dark,” Archbishop Shevchuk said in a video message. “If the devil and evil deeds are brought to light, if they are debunked, then immediately the devil loses strength. He is destroyed in the light.”
“Reflecting on these rules of spiritual struggle, on the need to debunk, to expose evil, today I especially want to thank all the workers of mass media communication, to all those journalists who tell the truth at the cost of their own lives,” the archbishop stated. “They tell the truth about the suffering and pain of Ukraine.”
Shevchuk went on to say that certain words such as “war” are banned in Russia today in an attempt to reshape by censorship the reality of what is going on.
“I thank all those who have the courage to tell the truth, who not only hear the truth about Ukraine, but bring it to the world and thereby unmask, bring the devil to light, disarm him,” he said. “And it gives us the strength to be victorious.”
“Do not become complicit in the crimes that are taking place in Ukraine through your own silence or fear of telling the truth,” he urged.
For his part, the archbishop minced no words in describing Russia’s ongoing invasion, referring to the assault as “mass murder.”
“More and more we begin to feel the immediate consequences of this war. A war that leads to mass murder,” he said. “We see how the enemy ruthlessly destroys our cities and villages, executes peaceful civilians, has regard neither for the spiritual nor the cultural heritage of the Ukrainian people.”
“Whole cities and villages have turned into ghost towns,” he said, and where there was once a flourishing intellectual, spiritual, and civic life, “today there are fires and blustering wind.”
Shevchuk also lamented the forced displacement of millions of Ukrainians who have been driven from their homes.
“Today we are talking about almost 3 million refugees who have left Ukraine,” he said. “It is said that at least 6 million people have been forced to leave their towns and villages and half of them are children.”
“But Ukraine is standing! Ukraine is fighting! Ukraine is victorious and surprises the world,” he encouraged.
The reason for the Ukrainians’ astonishing bravery, he asserted, is that Ukraine “is defending the truth, fighting for the truth.
“She fights for the fact that human life has its dignity, it is priceless. And just to destroy it or make it a tool, a hostage in the politics of certain political criminals is unacceptable,” he said.
“Bring the devil to light and we will overcome!” he exhorted. “For we feel that God’s light illumines the hearts of Ukrainians today. And the truth for which we live and die is the content of our strength, resilience, and will be the key to Ukraine’s victory.”
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