The Ukrainian archbishop asked Catholics all around the globe to pray for the release priests.
“We ask for the immediate release and protection of the priests. They have shown no fault but love their people, their Church, and the community they serve,” he stated.
“I appealed to diplomatic representatives and to international rights organizations asking them to do everything they can to save the lives these courageous pastors. I also ask the faithful of the Church of Ukraine and other countries to pray for their salvation.
According to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Faith, Redemptorist priests had chosen the Russian-occupied territory to continue serving the local Greek Catholic or Latin-rite Catholic communities.
Shevchuk explained that some military items were then placed in the church to accuse them for illegally possessing weapons.
Heleta, Levytskyi, and Heleta were taken away from their parish, the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Nov. 16th and charged with having engaged in “subversive”, and “guerrilla”, activities by the Russian National Guard.