The appeal from the Chancellor of Ukrainian Orthodox Church metropolitan Anthony (Packanich).

Dear brothers and sisters!

The war’s been going on for three weeks. Houses are being destroyed, millions of women and children are forced to leave their husbands and to search for salvation abroad, in another countries.

The majority of those, who are impacted by horrors of war, are loyal to Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

The Church enters into the pain of the whole nation and suffers together with it. Unfortunately, combat actionson the territory of Ukraine have led to numerous destructions of God’s temples.

On the east, south, north and in the middle of the country Ukrainian Orthodox Church partly and fully have lost more than 30 temples. And this number can increase because we do not have the connection with many cities.

Because of cannonades, village temples are being destroyed insomuch as cathedrals. Believers loose churches where many generations of our forebearers prayed. For example, in the Borispol eparchy, due to direct hit of a missile, the St. George's Church in the village Zagorichi has burned. It was wonderful wooden temple of XIX century which was saved even during the World war II. However, there is nothing left but flames on its place now.

Possibly, someone will raise the objection: «What are you talking about? People are dying, but you’re talking about your temples». Definitely, the war has no mercy on anybody and anything. Civilians, adults and kids, our fellows in Kiev, Kharkov, Donetsk, Mariupol, Severodonetsk, Izyum, Rovno are dying. It seems like there’re no region where people haven't died.

Infrastructure, houses, historical and architectural memorials are wrecked. The war «gnaws» all of this. But nevertheless, temple is not just a building, it’s a place of especial God’s presence. It’s a place where christians are connected with Him in the Communion. A temple is located at the same time in and over the world. There we must feel absolutely guarded. The majority of temples of Ukrainian Orthodox Church has been giving sanctuary to civilians since the beginning of combat actions. People hid there, and they are stillhiding from cannonades. And many of those, who had lost their home due to war, found a new home in the temples.

That’s why it’s not tolerated to use temples as military objectives. I understand that mistakes happen during the war. But not in such amounts.

I appeal everybody, who have an impact on this, to stop firing at orthodox temples. And all in all, to stop this horrible war.