Acting Defense Minister of Ukraine: Voice of Church As Important As Ever

Acting Defense Minister of Ukraine Ihor Tenyukh expressed his gratitude to representatives of the churches and religious organizations for supporting Ukrainian soldiers and asked them to continue.

“The Armed Forces of Ukraine has great reverence and respect for the clergy of the churches and religious organizations, who have an important spiritual mission in society. I express our respect for the church’s efforts to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. It has particular importance today, during the extraordinary tension between neighboring peoples, in a period of military aggression that is capable of breaking the fragile peace in the region and causing a divide in the hearts of people, which may take decades to overcome,” Ihor Tenyukh said in a statement published on the Ministry of Defense’s website on March 10.

In his words, not “differences but cooperation between believers should prevail in our lives. An example of such cooperation is seen among the priests who today carry out their pastoral duty among troops in the Crimea.”

“The voice of the church is as important as ever. Believers and unbelievers, soldiers and their families, employees of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the civilian population living in areas where military units have been deployed listen to it,” said Tenyukh.

According to him, inner peace and harmony is a prerequisite for a peaceful life and a strong society and, above all, it concerns the religious sphere. “Please do not stop on your chosen path and continue to spread among the faithful the desire to serve God by serving Ukraine,” concluded Tenyukh, korrespondent.net reported.