HIS BEATITUDE SVIATOSLAV EXPRESSES “SADNESS AND SHOCK” OVER NOTRE DAME FIRE
April 16, 2019
HEAD OF UKRAINIAN CHURCH SENDS CONDOLENCES TO CHURCH IN FRANCE
"It is with great sadness and shock that we watched the news coverage of how, on the first day of Passion Week, flames engulfed the Paris Notre Dame Cathedral. On behalf of the Ukrainian Catholic Church I want to express our prayerful support at this time to Archbishop [Michel] Aupetit, to our brothers and sisters of the Archdiocese of Paris and to all citizens of France."
With these words, the Father and Head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church,
His Beatitude Sviatoslav, expressed his condolences, by letter, to Cardinal George Pontier, President of the Episcopal Conference of France. "It may be that some of this cathedral's most precious works of art - not only for the west, but for all of Christianity - will be lost forever. However, we as Christians should not lose hope, since it is when faced with devastation and ruination, that we find hope in our resurrected Lord", wrote His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
He pointed out that, "at this time, when the visible walls of this iconic church are severely damaged, the Catholic Church in France remains strong and faithful in the proclamation of the Word of God. [...] may this tragic event teach us to see signs of hope even in the midst of flames, helping us to value all the more the most essential foundations of our Christian faith in Christ Jesus, Who 'conquered death by His death".
Information Department of the UGCC
