"God bless the worthy and free children of Ukraine," - His Beatitude Sviatoslav congratulated Ukrainians on Independence Day

This was reported by the Information Department of the UGCC.

"Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, allow me today to warmly congratulate all of you on the Independence Day of our Ukrainian free state. The independence of Ukraine is a celebration and a gift from God. Today, first and foremost, we want to thank the Lord God for giving us a free and independent state, for allowing us to be worthy people in our country," said the Head of the UGCC in a video address.

"Only free people can build a free state, a homeland. Let us strive for freedom from all evil!" called His Beatitude Sviatoslav.

According to him, the highest form of freedom is love. Therefore, today it is especially important to remember those who are capable of loving the Motherland to the point of self-sacrifice.

"On this day, we particularly remember the entire generation of heroes of our nation's national liberation struggles, who, in different times and epochs of Ukrainian history, not only dreamed of a free Ukraine but also fought for it with their blood. Today, we pray especially for our girls and boys who defend independence on the battlefields of the war that Russia brought to our land. We can celebrate this holiday today only thanks to our Ukrainian army creating a space of freedom," the Patriarch stated.

"Today we pray especially: God bless Ukraine! God bless the worthy and free children of Ukraine! God, the great and only one, protect our Ukraine!" - added His Beatitude Sviatoslav at the conclusion.