In an April 2 message, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, paid tribute to the resilience of Ukrainians, urged prayers for the army, and emphasized the Christian’s internal struggle with Satan.

“During the past day and night, the Ukrainian land, its cities and villages, have been convulsing from air strikes,” he said. “Our special prayers flow to Mariupol, which has been astounding the whole world with its resilience for a month now … Kharkiv and Chernihiv withstand heroically.”

Referring to the devil’s influence through “intimidation and propaganda,” he said that “inside a person, there are street fights going on, with the evil that is trying to capture us. And then, if we stop resisting and give in, our will begins to consent to evil, and this becomes an internal occupation by sin, and the person is enslaved by sinful passion.”