Shevchuk on Pope's words about Ukrainians and Russians being brothers: "It's different"

Pope Francis and Sviatoslav Shevchuk. Photo: slovoidilo

The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), Sviatoslav Shevchuk, commented in an interview with RBC-Ukraine on recent remarks by Pope Francis, who referred to Ukrainians and Russians as "cousin brothers."

"When it comes to certain words, it is evident that they acquire a different meaning in our context. The term 'brothers' is a fundamental concept in Christian life. But in our context, especially considering the manipulations with language employed by Russia, the term 'brothers' is used by Russia with genocidal intent. Therefore, we would rather be called neighbors than brothers," Shevchuk emphasized.

He added that he sees some progress in the Pope's terminology since the Pope referred to Ukrainians and Russians as "cousin brothers."

Shevchuk explained that the Pope's words should be understood within the framework of his "universal mission." "Tragedy can be viewed from the perspective of the victim – this is our perspective. But it can also be viewed from the perspective of a universal arbiter who sees the entire world and seeks to serve all those suffering from wars and injustice, fulfilling a mission of peacemaking," he noted.

According to Shevchuk, despite media crises, dialogue with the Vatican continues.

As previously reported by the UOJ, Pope Francis referred to Ukrainians and Russians as "brothers and cousins" during a prayer for peace.

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