Every nation has a natural right to live independently - Patriarch Sviatoslav Shevchuk on the Independence Day of Ukraine

On August 18 UGCC head Patriarch Sviatoslav addressed the faithful on the occasion of Independence Day of Ukraine. The message will be read on August 24 in all churches of the UGCC.

The statement stresses that every nation has a natural right to live independently in the country. Patriarch Sviatoslav cites the Gospel truth that it is better to die free than live as a slave, emphasizing the fact that these words are etched in the minds of Ukrainian.

And the hierarch urges to "see the image of the suffering Christ in everyone who lost homes or forced to leave their land, each wounded, captured or kidnapped."