President Duda expressed spiritual support for the Ukrainian army, - Fr. Stefan Batruch
In his comment to the KAI, the head of the Borderland Spiritual Culture Foundation, rector of the Greek Catholic parish in Lublin, also summed up the visit of a delegation of Polish bishops to Ukraine, which took place on May 17-20, 2022. The words of the priest were published by the Catholic magazine Credo.
"The visit of the Polish bishops was an expression of solidarity and friendliness in the best and most profound sense of the word. Eastern Europe: Our Churches, Poland and Ukraine, must be at the forefront when it comes to close cooperation, not only in such an important, common religious dimension for us but also as an example in the field of ecumenism.
As the Catholic Churches, Roman and Greek Catholic, we have the opportunity to show the world that we are one in diversity. We can be an important example for the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, which is very open to dialogue and cooperation, as shown by the visit of Polish hierarchs to the Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Epifaniy, head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
He seeks ecumenical cooperation and cooperation between the faithful, church institutions, and theological dialogue. As Ukrainians and Poles, we can show the world a lot in this area in terms of the universality of the Catholic Church in many rites. We can also demonstrate ecumenical openness to Orthodoxy, which is very open and committed to dialogue in Ukraine.
It is also imperative that the dialogue of our Churches is an example and an encouragement to the cooperation of state structures. It is needed so that they do not hesitate before further integration between our states. Obviously, this integration will be regulated by international agreements, but our Churches must encourage and mobilize the economies of Ukraine and Poland to facilitate their cooperation.
Today, both countries must become economic "tigers" of Europe. Thus we can show that Poland and Ukraine are important partners for Germany, France and other leading economies, which will serve to accelerate Ukraine's integration with the European Union. Of course, we need a common spirit, especially in the religious dimension, so the Churches must play a significant role here.
The visit of the Polish bishops was a significant signal for the Ukrainian society and various Christian Churches and religious communities in Ukraine: that Poland is in solidarity, it stands by Ukraine and seeks to support it. It was also an important signal for Polish society. Leaders of the Polish Church have shown that society must be open and continue, deepening its position of hospitality and openness, expressed since the beginning of Russian aggression so that society is not discouraged, tired and doubted. Still, hospitality is transformed into lasting cooperation, economic, cultural, family contacts, etc.
There are so many opportunities for cooperation that we only need to unblock the obstacles within us. This is also the role of our Churches - that different currents of activity lead to the strengthening of integration. This visit also confirmed that the process of understanding and reconciliation of our peoples and Churches have been largely completed.
Obviously, some things need to be worked on, specifically the issues of historical mentions, exhumations, and clarifying the difficult pages in the history of our peoples. We must do this, and the current situation is very conducive to this. We should not be afraid of this. We must learn together by creating joint professional and scientific meetings that will carefully evaluate the events of our history. In this way, we will avoid so-called "white spots" of suspicion and misunderstandings.
Father Mitrat Stefan Batruch works for the Lublin Public Committee for Aid to Ukraine, bringing together many non-governmental organizations working with local authorities. In addition, he is involved in the support program for the people of Ukraine, "Together with Ukraine".
