Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv and All Ukraine recently shared a poignant message on social media commemorating the first-ever national Day of Remembrance for Ukraine’s defenders, including volunteer fighters and civilians who were executed, tortured, or died in captivity.
He stated, “Today, for the first time at the state level, we observe the Day of Honoring the Memory of Ukraine’s defenders, participants of volunteer formations, and civilians who were executed, tortured, or perished in captivity.”
The Metropolitan emphasized the Church’s solemn prayers for those who endured “the deadly furnace of the Russian hellish machine of hatred,” and for “all who had their lives taken simply because they were born Ukrainian.” He honored these individuals who “died for their homeland, native land, native language, native history, and faith.”
He called on the faithful to “ask God for the repose of the souls of all innocent victims of Russian aggression, as well as for the just punishment of murderers and torturers!”
Highlighting the power of prayer, Metropolitan Epifaniy said, “Through prayer we honor their memory and show our love for the fallen, testifying that their souls exist eternally, for we know that in God there are no dead.” He affirmed humanity’s eternal nature: “We, as people, are created for eternity.”
He wished for the innocent victims who “fell to evil” to “enter eternal blessed life,” while “the inhuman killers may receive eternal punishment in the fiery Gehenna, for such is promised eternal torment and curse.”
The Metropolitan concluded with a message of hope and divine justice: “The Lord, Who conquered evil on the cross, Who conquered the power of death by His death, will surely reveal His truth, His power, and His Judgment over the lawless. To all who fell from the invasion of this Russian empire of evil, may the Lord grant rest of souls in His Kingdom.”
