Bishop Victor: No intentions can justify the evil of war

The Vicar of the Kyiv Metropolis, Bishop Victor (Kotsaba), noted that war is evil primarily because children become its victims. Vladyka wrote about this in his Telegram channel.

“Once upon a time, the great Russian writer Feodor Dostoevsky posed the question of whether the good of the whole world was worth at least one tear of a child. And today, given what is happening, we can say – no, it’s not worth it,” wrote Bishop Victor.

Vladyka said that according to official data as of March 1, 2022, 16 children died as a result of the military actions of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine.

“16 children who will never become Gogols, Shevchenkos, Ukrainkas and Frankos. Children who will never repeat the world-famous sporting achievements of Bayul and Bubka, Shevchenko and Usyk. Children who didn't even get a chance to live a conscious, young, flourishing life. Moreover, how many children's hearts have stopped beating in Donbas over the past 8 years of a terrible and ruthless war…” said the hierarch of the UOC.

Vladyka emphasized that since the very beginning of hostilities in the East of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has never been silent.

“We clearly testified to our position – we are for peace and against war! For this position, we had to endure a lot, suffer a lot, but we did not abandon it for a moment. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church adheres to the same position today – we are firmly against the war, against the daily killings of the military, and even more so of civilians. And this position of our Church is dictated solely by the value of human life, which can only be taken away by the Lord alone, Who gave it to a person,” Bishop Victor said.

The Bishop of Baryshivka also drew attention to the fact that the war united all Ukrainians without exception.

“It so happened historically that we are all different, but when we are attacked, we become one. We do not claim someone else's, but we fight for our own to the last. And the last days have proven this once again not only to the whole world, but even to ourselves. And we don't know what will happen tomorrow, but we know what to do today. ‘But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you’,” the bishop concluded his address with these gospel lines.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary called on the clergy of the UOC not to succumb to emotions and provocations, but to direct their forces to pastoral service.

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