Ecumenical Patriarch calls for end to war and aggression in Ukraine

This is stated in a message of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on the occasion of the 84th anniversary of the Holodomor in Ukraine, which was published on the website of the Patriarchate.

"While prayerfully commemorating the atrocity of famine, we would also like to make a prayerful appeal to all people of goodwill for the cessation of the war, aggression and ongoing violence in Ukraine, as well as to underscore the importance of respecting human rights and dignity, most especially of the prisoners of war, for whose safety and release we Orthodox pray for at every divine service," the Ecumenical Patriarch said.

According to him, the aggressions and crimes witnessed in the early 20th century should not be repeated once again: "Rather, we should strive to be mechanisms of reconciliation and rapprochement, especially having fresh in our minds the disastrous results of the conflict and hostility 84 years ago."

"Let us all, each from our own standpoint, personally and collectively, work to de-escalate tension and cultivate dialogue and mutual understanding, so that the dark chapters of the early 20th century will never reappear before us," he said.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew also added that the Mother Church of Constantinople was forever bonded spiritually to the Christ-loving nation of Ukraine, continuing to actively share in its pride and its joys, but also in its sorrows: "If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together."

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