ROME — The Australian Bishops sent a letter of solidarity to Ukrainian Catholics this week, condemning Russia’s aggression as “genocide.”
Archbishop Mark Coleridge, president of the Australian Episcopal Conference, insists in the letter that “the Church cannot remain neutral” in the face of such a clear conflict between good and evil.
“This is not just a local conflict in some distant country,” the letter declares. “It has serious consequences for Europe and for the whole world, even for Australia.”
“This is not just a struggle for democracy against authoritarianism; it is a battle for freedom against slavery, for truth against lies, for life against death, for good against evil,” it states.
The Catholic Church in Australia stands in “unconditional solidarity with you and your people,” the letter declares.
The ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine constitutes “genocide,” the letter asserts, “which corresponds to the long-standing model of denying Ukraine’s right to exist.”
“But Ukraine exists, it has withstood all attempts to destroy it,” it continues. “The same indomitable spirit is also evident now, when the Ukrainian people are resisting the aggressor, and this greatly inspires all of us.”
Mourners attend the funeral of Denys Antipov a soldier and popular economics lecturer at the Kyiv School of Economics on May 18, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
“We pray from the bottom of our hearts that the Mother of God may protect Ukraine, as she protected it in the past. May the Ukrainian people defeat the offensive of the forces of darkness by the power of her resurrected son, and may the truth, freedom and life prevail,” the bishops conclude.
Commenting on the letter Tuesday, Ukrainian Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk expressed his gratitude for the clarity with which the Australian bishops called out Russia.
“Just yesterday we received a letter of solidarity from the Australian Bishops’ Conference,” Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk said in a video message.
“The bishops of Australia clearly say who the criminal is,” he notes with appreciation. “They are clear about how many years — decades and centuries — Ukraine has known oppression and been destroyed by the imperial ambitions of our northern neighbor.”
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