ROME — Ukrainian Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk condemned Russia’s “systematic war against civilians” in Ukraine following the massacre of 53 people in a train station.
“A tragedy occurred at the Kramatorsk railway station,” Archbishop Shevchuk said in a video message on Saturday. “Deliberately and voluntarily, deliberately planned, two Russian missiles were fired at this railway junction, killing 53 people and injuring more than 100.”
“Many of them are in critical condition and may die in the next hours or days,” the archbishop said in reference to Friday’s killing. “Women and children were killed, people who tried to evacuate, to leave the area of heavy and intense fighting.”
“Peaceful people whom they wanted to take hostage, to make prisoners of this war. There were no troops, there was no military infrastructure. They were civilians,” he added.
Moreover, the civilians killed were “Russian-speaking residents of Donbas,” Shevchuk observed, “whom Russia declares it wants to liberate and for whom, or on behalf of whom, they are trying to fight.”
“We have witnessed an unjustified and disgusting crime worthy of global condemnation, which is an example of a common crime against humanity,” he said.
The archbishop also noted that according to Christian theology, “when a person intentionally, premeditatedly does evil, then they bear full responsibility.”
“Then that evil penetrates their mind, soul, and heart, destroys them from within, makes them a slave to sin and brings death,” he added.
Today “we pray for Ukraine, for our army that rescues, for our army which defends the life and health of the peaceful people of Ukraine by its own life,” he said.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.