The Council of Bishops of the UOC of the USA issued a statement on the Occasion of the 39th Anniversary of the Chornobyl Nuclear Disaster.
“Today, we solemnly mark the 39th Anniversary of the Chornobyl Nuclear Catastrophe – a date that forever altered the course of human history, and especially the life of our Ukrainian nation. On April 26, 1986, the world stood still as Reactor No. 4 at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded, releasing into the skies an invisible and insidious force that swept across Ukraine, Belarus, and much of Europe. Archbishop Daniel vividly remembers, as one who lived in Ukraine at that time, the days of fear, silence, and confusion that followed. News trickled out slowly, but the impact – both physical and spiritual – was immediate and immense. Thousands of lives were lost, millions were affected, and generations continue to bear the scars of that moment,” the statement reads.
The tragedy of Chornobyl reminds everyone that with great power comes even greater responsibility, the church goes on to say. “Nuclear technology, a profound scientific gift capable of providing warmth, energy, and advancement for humanity, also possesses the terrifying potential to devastate life and nature when mishandled. The accident was not merely a failure of technology – it was a failure of human accountability, transparency, and care. When power is managed without humility, truth, or foresight, it becomes not a blessing but a curse,” the statement reads.
The UOC of the USA appeals that the Chornobyl tragedy be not the only a lesson of sorrow but a call to spiritual awakening. “As stewards of God’s creation, we must heed the Lord’s command to “tend and keep” the garden (Genesis 2:15). We are not owners of the earth – we are its caretakers, accountable to future generations and to the Creator Himself. The mystical body of creation, as St. Paul reminds us, “groans” in labor pains (Romans 8:22) – and it groans still, from the nuclear fallout of 1986, from industrial exploitation, and now from the war that again scorches the soil of Ukraine,” the statement says.
The church stresses that the Russian war of aggression in our ancestral homeland is yet another deep wound in the sacred tapestry of Ukrain: “Just as the earth was poisoned in 1986, so too is it desecrated today by missiles, bombs, and the blood of innocents. The nuclear threat looms once more – not as an accident, but as a weapon of terror in the hands of those who disrespect both God and human dignity.”
“Let us remember: Power must serve life, not dominate it. Technology without morality is a path to destruction. Protecting the earth is our sacred responsibility. Healing creation is healing Christ,” the statement emphasizes.
