Cardinal Blase Cupich spoke out against “powerful voices trying to rewrite history” during an interfaith prayer service Monday to mark three years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The archbishop of Chicago made the remarks before more than 500 members of the Ukrainian American community who filled the pews at Holy Name Cathedral to honor the dead and pray for peace.
“We need to be here tonight, to recall and honor both the sufferings and heroism of Ukraine, for unfortunately, there are powerful voices attempting to change the narrative and rewrite history,” Cupich said.
To blame Ukraine for the start of the war and deny Russia’s aggression “is false and must be rejected,” he said.
Cupich didn’t mention any names, but President Donald Trump has falsely blamed Ukraine for starting the war and labeled Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, “a dictator” as fighting has delayed elections in the country by almost a year.
Cupich also said “true peace” can only be attained if Ukraine is allowed to negotiate the end of the war on its own terms.
“This can happen only if Ukraine is at the table, if the truth is told and the nations of the world honor the promises that were made in treaties that were signed,” Cupich said. “Ukraine has the right to its existence and its self-determination. Most of all, in this moment, Ukraine has the right to be a true architect of the pathway to peace that can lie ahead.”
Before Cupich spoke, clergy and the Ukrainian community honored the dead with the Ukrainian memorial prayer Panakhida. The Stavros Male Choir of St. Joseph the Betrothed Ukrainian Catholic Church in Chicago sang the Ukrainian national anthem.
Many attendees carried Ukrainian flags or wrapped the colors around their shoulders. Others wore scarves and clothing with the yellow and blue colors of the flag.
Bishop Benedict Aleksiychuk of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Chicago lauded the resilience of Ukraine and its people, noting that when Russia began its invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, some experts thought Ukraine would quickly fall.
“Yet, against all human logic, the reality has been very different,” Aleksiychuk said. “Ukraine has now endured three years of courageous resistance against … a ruthless enemy, Putin’s Russia. These three years have been nothing short of a miracle from God. One that defies
logic.”
Prayers were also offered by representatives of various religious communities, including the Armenian Orthodox Church and the Jewish, Muslim and Buddhist faiths.
Oleg Pavlyuk drove to the service from his home in Des Plaines. The 63-year-old has been in the Chicago area for more than 30 years, but he was born in the Ukrainian city of Lviv. He said he knows many people who have lost friends and family in the war. Pavlyuk said he was “not doing good” at the third-year mark of the war.
“It’s not three years, it’s 11 years that Russia occupied Ukraine, killing lots of people, young, old,” Pavlyuk said. “Today is a day to pray for Ukraine.”
He said that though government officials in the U.S. may switch their position on Ukraine, clouding its future, he knows that the American people will stand up for his native country.
“Independent of who comes into government, the American people support Ukraine,” Pavlyuk said.