“…If you love one another”
The photo made last Saturday, when Ukrainians were commemorating the victims of the Holodomor and political repressions, was spread over the social networks and the Internet on the whole. It shows His Beatitude Volodymyr (Sabodan) and His Beatitude Liubomyr (Huzar) greeting each other with a hug. The photo is full of a true mutual sympathy and love.
When the country’s political life lacks unanimity, social life – solidarity, and church life – unity, gestures, which would seem natural for any Christian, cause broad public response.
“You are the salt of the earth,” reads the Gospel for Christians. There were times when foods were salted to avoid spoiling. So, the pastors of numerous congregations serve as fermentation for Ukrainian society.
Bishop Yevstratii (ZORIA), UOC-KP:
“Last Saturday, when we were commemorating the victims of famines and political repressions, an embarrassing situation occurred. Near the Memorial to the Victims of the Holodomors, the clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate was standing in two lines, waiting for the arrival of His Beatitude Volodymyr (Sabodan). But Patriarch Filaret came earlier. The priests started to go away in various directions, not to be suspected of having sympathy for the primate of the UOC-KP. I wonder, why are they so afraid if they consider themselves right? All this is quite a funny illustration to the photo published by numerous Internet resources where His Beatitude Volodymyr (Sabodan) and His Beatitude Liubomyr (Huzar) greet each other with a hug. The pastor is wiser than the flock.”
Bishop Bohdan (DZIURAKH), UGCC:
“This photo is bright proof that we, Ukrainians, and Ukrainian churches, in particular, are united by the painful past of Ukrainian people. Incidentally, in the hard times of the 1930s, when our homeland was divided by a border, the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church really sympathized with its brothers in Great Ukraine and felt empathy for them because of their tragedy. In particular, the episcopate of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church in July 1933 sent the declaration ‘Ukraine in Death Convulsions,’ where it expressed categorical protest against the policy of Soviet occupation regime and called upon the world community to counteract this injustice and horrors.
“This photo is also a demonstration of how we, Christians, ought to communicate with one another – with love and surrounded by love.”
Rev. Heorhii KOVALENKO, press secretary of His Beatitude Volodymyr (Sabodan):
“His Beatitude Volodymyr and His Beatitude Liubomyr have known each other for a long while. They have normal relations. They frequently see each other, for example, at the sessions of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches or scholarly conferences. Moreover, His Beatitude Volodymyr speaks quietly, whereas His Beatitude Liubomyr has poor eyesight, so they have to stay close to communicate (laughing).
“In fact, they always greet each other any time they meet. A Christian must radiate love to another Christian, no matter to what denomination he belongs. Christ said, ‘By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’ (John 13:34-35)”
Archbishop Ihor (ISICHENKO), UAPC:
“The touch of sensation connected with the spreading of the picture that shows the meeting of His Beatitude Volodymyr (Sabodan) and His Beatitude Liubomyr (Huzar) arouses not only joy from the social support of public demonstration of Christian solidarity, but sadness, too. What disgusting should the picture of interdenominational relations in social perception be that a quite common episode of monk greeting of two Christian hierarchs fixed by a photographer looks a sensation! And in the darkness of boorishness, brutality, mutual offences, we are so badly lacking in our church life the images of sincerity, kindness, love, which would seem so natural for any Christian, called to remember: ‘You are the light of the world.’ (Matthew 5:14).”
