"This is not a war against Ukraine, but a war in the heart of Europe. We are all under attack. It is a war against the whole world. Pray for us as we wait for good news, news of peace, because God is with us and is our greatest strength. We pray that He will convert hearts and crush them with the power of peace, not weapons," Fr. Sergiei Palamarchuk, pastor of the Greek Catholic parish in Lisichansk in the Luhansk region, said in an interview with the Italian agency SIR.
The problem is that we know where to flee from, but we don't know where to go.
According to SIR, the priest -- speaking by phone -- was on his way from Muratov to Lisichansk. He was bringing with him several families seeking shelter in his rectory. "Right now we are fleeing Muratov because there are too many weapons there. We see military vehicles, we hear the sounds of bombing and mortar shelling. The situation here was already not safe," the priest said.
"Many families have fled in cars, and we are the last ones to leave the area. Some, however, have stayed because they don't know where to go. The problem is that we know where to flee from, but we don't know where to go. We are getting bad news about Kiev, Kharkiv, so no city is safe at the moment. When we get to my house in Lisichansk, we will have to think about what to do and where to go," the parish priest reported.
Thank you for your prayers and please pray for us. Do not stop praying for us.
Despite the difficulties in continuing the conversation, Fr. Sergei reconnected to deliver an appeal for prayers through the media.
"Thank you for your prayers and please pray for us. Do not stop praying for us. This is the greatest and most important thing. And one more thing. We must understand that this is not a war against Ukraine, but a war in the heart of Europe. We are all under attack. It is a war against the whole world. Pray for us as we wait for the good news to come, the news of peace, because God is with us and God is our greatest strength. We pray that he will convert hearts and humble them with the power of peace and not weapons," the priest stressed.
According to the information reported by the media and confirmed repeatedly by Ukrainian services, fighting and evacuation of the population are ongoing in the Luhansk district.
