Shevchuk: Pope's words about brotherhood is a reality we aren't ready for

Sviatoslav Shevchuk. Photo: screenshot from "We Are Ukraine" channel

The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), Sviatoslav Shevchuk, responding to a journalist from the We Are Ukraine channel, who noted that Pope Francis's statements about the brotherhood of Russia and Ukraine are indistinguishable from Patriarch Kirill's rhetoric, stated that the pontiff means something entirely different by 'brotherhood'.

According to Shevchuk, when leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church speak of 'brotherhood', they imply the genocide of the Ukrainian people.

"From the mouth of Russia, the words about fraternal nations sound like a denial of the existence of a separate, unique, great, multi-million-strong Ukrainian nation with its own language, culture, traditions, and Church," Shevchuk asserted.

He is convinced that the same words from Pope Francis "carry a somewhat different meaning". According to Shevchuk, the pontiff imbues them with a Gospel significance.

"The words of the Holy Scriptures, that all people are brothers and sisters," the UGCC leader explained. In his view, the Pope's words carry "a prophetic message, inviting us to a reality we are sometimes not yet ready for."

Therefore, Shevchuk continued, when listening to Pope Francis, it is important to "understand the spirit they convey".

Earlier, the UOJ reported that, according to Shevchuk, after the de-Moscowization of the Pochaiv Lavra, the authorities should also consider his structure.

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