Patriarch Shevchuk to Russians: ‘This is not madness – it is a manifestation of civic community in Ukraine’
A journalist at Echo of Moscow radio station, Alexander Golubev, told the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church that in the last few days, the events taking place in Ukraine are being interpreted in very different ways in Russia, that people are saying that the Ukrainian people have gone mad by deciding to distance themselves from Russia.
The journalist asked the patriarch: What is happening to the Ukrainian people?
“Ukraine is experiencing a period of social transformation. This is not madness – it is a manifestation of civic community in Ukraine. Of course, this community is nothing new for the former Soviet Union, but I think that this community is the future of both Ukraine and the other countries of the former Soviet Union. Ukrainians already made their choice more than 20 years ago, having confirmed their desire to live in an independent, free, democratic country. But this choice today is taking on a real sense. It is not enough to have civil liberties – one should be free. It is not enough to have constitutional rights – a constitutional state must be built. I think this is what is happening today in Ukraine, and we call it the European direction of development of the Ukrainian community,” said the patriarch.
