Narva, Estonia, March 25, 2022
Photo: insiderpaper.com
The fratricidal war in Ukraine will eventually end, but the wounds we inflict upon one another may take much longer to heal, a hierarch of the Estonian Orthodox Church warns in a statement issued yesterday.
We are beholding a confrontation between two peoples who are so similar in culture and religion, and the situation is only aggravated by the growing hatred between people watching from the outside, His Grace Bishop Lazar of Narva and Prichudie of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Estonian Church laments.
Moreover, the media and social media bear responsibility for playing on people’s emotions to provoke further aggression. But we must do all we can to keep peace and unity, Bp. Lazar insists.
His statement reads in full:
Today, the attention of the world community is focused on the tragic events in Ukraine. People brought up on the ideas of Christian humanitarianism in all parts of the world are following with deep sorrow and anxiety the military actions that take the lives of civilians and military personnel on both sides. For many decades, the peoples living on the European continent have existed in peace and good-neighborly relations, which is why what happened causes the deepest bewilderment and growing concern.
The armed confrontation that is taking place before our eyes resonates with particular pain in the hearts of Orthodox Christians. Since the Civil War (1917-1922), for the first time we are witnessing a violent confrontation between two peoples close in cultural code and religion, who once lived in one big country. The difficult situation is aggravated by the growing hatred both between those involved in the conflict and those watching from the outside and supporting one side or the other.
Sorrow and sympathy are caused not only by the hardships that our brothers and sisters in Christ are experiencing now, as in Ukraine they are forced to leave their homes, their homeland and seek refuge in other countries. This anger and separation is a great tragedy, discord occurs within families, and those who were recently friends become blood enemies.
The mass media, bloggers, and opinion leaders online very often specifically appeal not to reason when presenting the news, but to emotions, provoking aggression on national grounds. Living in a democratic society, we are free to adhere to any point of view, to interpret what is happening in the world in our own way, however, the expression of opinions should have a civilized character. The position taken will not have the power of a positive and constructive impact if it’s abundantly seasoned with hostility and irritation.
In the Epistle of the Apostle James we read: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God (Jas. 1:20). It’s especially necessary to keep love and unity in the family, to not lose respect for the older generation, whose opinion may differ from the opinion of the young. It’s safe to say that the confrontation in Ukraine will not be eternal and will be resolved, with God's help, but the offenses inflicted upon relatives and friends can take a very long time to heal. No matter how we quarrel, we mustn’t succumb to calls for insults and violence. We must keep the peace!
Events replace each other, erasing from our memory those that were so disturbing yesterday, and because of which spears were broken in passionate debates. We all have to continue our life path and it’s better to go through it supporting each other, lending a hand. May the Lord God help us in this and strengthen our hearts!
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