I was privileged and indeed graced to see and listen to a modern-day martyr. On May 4, while at an international meeting, I witnessed a long and detailed testimony given by my friend Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Major Archbishop of Kyiv-Halyc, Ukraine. He joined our daily meetings during the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity at the Vatican.
In past years, Shevchuk used to attend in person, as the rest of us. As a true shepherd of his flock composed of Catholics of the Greek Rite, he remained physically close to his martyred people, but nonetheless joined us remotely through the wonders of digital technology.
On the eighth anniversary of the Malta office of Aid to the Church in Need, I’m dedicating this piece to the suffering Christians of Ukraine. In a very concrete way, they represent all the suffering of persecuted Christians all over the world.
What we have been seeing live on the media from Ukraine is indeed heartbreaking. Listening to Shevchuk, at times visibly moved by what he was sharing with us, huddled as we were in an office overlooking Via della Conciliazione, entailed being humanly and spiritually close to a contemporary martyr, one of hundreds who were (and still are) specifically targeted by the Russian army.
Shevchuk loudly asserted that despite their centuries-old divisions, Christians from all Churches have been joined by Jews and Muslims while praying for those dumped into the unearthed mass graves after being tortured or executed for no reason at all except for being Ukrainian.
This is just the tip of a massive iceberg which includes all the suffering and persecuted Christians all over the world.
ACN throughout the world, including ACN (Malta), seeks to assist all those suffering for their faith or who are marginalised for other reasons. As in other hotspots in the world, Christians have joined ranks wherever they are persecuted.
ACN reminds all women and men of goodwill to express their human and spiritual solidarity to all persecuted Christians. This is not only a pressing duty but, moreover, a call to embrace the radicalism of Christian discipleship.
Mgr Hector Scerri is ecclesiastical assistant at ACN (Malta).