New York Governor, Clergy and Ambassadors Join Orthodox Leaders to Pray for Ukraine

(RNS) — Ambassadors, elected officials and a group of interfaith clergy joined with Orthodox Christian leaders in New York on Wednesday (March 9) to express solidarity with Ukrainians as they resist the ongoing invasion of their country — and to decry the Russian leaders at the helm of the conflict.

The slate of dignitaries gathered at the Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Volodymyr in Manhattan’s Upper West Side neighborhood for what was described as an “Intercessory Prayer Service for Ukraine.” Attendees and speakers represented an array of faiths, ranging from Ukrainian and Greek Orthodox prelates to Catholic cardinals to Jewish rabbis.

Metropolitan Antony of Hierapolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA opened up the speaking section of the service by outlining a history of what he said were wrongs inflicted on the Ukrainian people by Russia.

“After 30 years of independence, recognized by the world over — did we ever think that we would be going back to this that we see today?” he said.

He celebrated the outpouring of international support for Ukraine during the invasion, and thanked all of those who have done more than simply say “You’re in our thoughts and prayers.”

“This has been a movement that has swollen beyond all imagination in terms of the the desire for people to help, to do something and to fall on their knees and pray,” he said. “I can tell you the people of Ukraine tell us that they feel the power of those prayers.”

He was followed by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who noted that the cathedral, just a few blocks west of Central Park, was once a synagogue.

“When I look out of this room, yes, I hear the words of prayer on your lips — and those are powerful words, heartfelt words — and I see tremendous pain in your eyes,” she said.

“But as I hear the prayers and I see the pain and sense the weeping in your hearts for the people left behind, I also sense defiance in your souls.”

Hochul said the state of New York will reject business “with Russian interests or the Russian state” as part of “a global effort to bring that nation to its knees and regret the day they ever attempted to subjugate the great country of Ukraine.”

Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, executive vice president of the New York Board of Rabbis, recalled the horrors of the Holocaust during World War II. He noted Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is Jewish, lost family during the Holocaust and had a grandfather who fought the Nazis with the Soviet Union’s Red Army. Between 1.2 million and 1.6 million Jews were killed in Ukraine during the Holocaust.

“When we said never again after the war, we didn’t put a question mark after it — we put an exclamation mark,” Potasnik said.

“We can discuss and debate a no fly zone, but there is one thing we can’t debate, and that is this should be a no-cry zone. … We should never, ever see innocent people mercilessly murdered.”

Potasnik referenced the approaching Jewish holiday of Purim, which commemorates the triumph of the Jewish people over Haman.

“Haman wanted the Jewish people to submit to his rule, and they did something he didn’t expect: They fought back,” Potasnik said. “Ultimately, Haman was relegated to the dustbin of history, and the people were victorious. I hope the president of Russia reads the story, that maybe this year will be called ‘Putin’s Purim’ because we have learned that history often repeats itself.”

The rabbi rejected Putin’s attempts to justify the invasion as an effort to “denazify” Ukraine, saying, “On the contrary, what you are doing in assaulting Ukraine is Nazification.”

Catholic Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who oversees the Archdiocese of New York, called the invasion “raw evil” and “irrational” in his remarks. He recounted a recent conversation with a journalist who worked in the country who described faith as uniting the Ukrainian people.

“God save Ukraine,” Dolan said.