Ukrainian bishop says Ukraine is keeping faith in religion and freedom
Archbishop Borys Gudziak tells ‘Fox & Friends’ that Ukrainians won’t give up as war with Russia continues
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Archbishop Borys Gudziak says Ukrainians are keeping their faith in religion and democracy alive as the country continues to battle the Russian invasion.
Gudziak, who is a spiritual leader at the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy in Philadelphia, joined "Fox & Friends" on Tuesday to discuss the strength and unity Ukrainians are displaying as the war goes on.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We’re beginning Lent, and Lent leads us to the resurrection," Gudziak said during his televised interview. "There’s the way of the cross in between and Ukraine is being crucified right now."
He continued, "But, people are strong. People believe that God is the lord of history, and they’re putting up a fight."
Gudziak noted that Ukrainian armed forces have not allowed Russia to advance and have shown great resilience even with its smaller budget and fleet of tanks and planes.
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"Two hundred thousand volunteers have signed up in the last five days for the [Ukraine] Territorial Defense Unit," Gudziak said. "They’re of strong faith. There’s unity. Ukrainians are united. They’ve united the world."
"You know, [Russia’s President Vladimir Putin] thought the war would be over by Saturday," Gudziak told "Fox & Friends," while citing alleged reports of a Russian news outlet that seems to have accidently published a premature victory article.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}ASH WEDNESDAY, START OF LENT: WHEN ‘WORLD IS A MESS,’ WE MUST ‘TURN TO GOD’
"It’s not happening, and it won’t happen," Gudziak continued. "Every hour-to-hour, the resolve of the country is getting stronger. It’s really freedom or death."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Gudziak went on to say that Ukrainians of faith know they have a life on earth and strongly believe in an eternal life after death.
From his point of view, this knowledge and belief have led Ukrainians to fight for freedom because many feel it’s important to "stick to principles" and "make big sacrifices" when times call for it.
"Ukrainians really are being punished because it’s a democracy," Gudziak said. "It’s a place for the freedom of the press, it’s a place where people have freedom of religion, and this is what the autocrats fear. And Putin does not want this virus to spread to Russia."
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Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed to not give up in face of the war. In the last week, spiritual leaders have stepped up humanitarian aid efforts for Ukrainians who have been impacted by the war.