He pope Francis met today in the Vatican with Ukrainian bishopswho conveyed to him that some of his statements and gestures, as well as those of the Holy See, are “painful and difficult for the Ukrainian people who are currently bleeding in the fight for their dignity and independence”, according to the press release. Note.
These days, the Pope received in Rome a group of bishops participating in the Synod of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, who in a “sincere conversation” expressed the pain, “suffering and certain disappointment of the Ukrainian people”, it added. .
“In the conversation with the Holy Father, we presented to him everything that our believers in Ukraine and all over the world entrusted to us to convey to His Holiness” and “The misunderstandings that have arisen between Ukraine and the Vatican since the beginning of the large-scale war are being used by Russian propaganda to justify and support the murderous ideology of the Russian world.”said Archbishop Sviatoslav Ševčuk.
The Pope also explained to them the meaning of his words “Great Russia” aimed at Russian students and which caused great discomfort in Ukraine.
According to the bishop’s statement, Francisco explained that “it is a real pain when the cultural heritage of a nation is diluted and subjected to manipulations by some state authority, as a result of which it turns into an ideology that destroys and kills. It is a great tragedy when ideology thus invades the Church and replaces the Gospel of Christ.”
The bishops explained that the Pope also reaffirmed: “I want to assure you of my solidarity with you and my constant prayerful closeness. I am with the Ukrainian people.”
As a special gesture and a symbol of closeness to the Ukrainian people, Francis brought with him an icon of the Mother of God, which he showed to the bishops and affirmed. “This icon was given to me by His Beatitude Sviatoslav when I was a young bishop in Argentina. I pray for Ukraine every day in front of it.”
The bishops also thanked the pope “for his constant support for Ukraine at the international level, his humanitarian actions, his personal efforts to free prisoners and the peace mission of the special papal envoy, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi.”
“Ukrainian youth are sincerely touched by the humility of your words of apology for the fact that more could not have been done to end the war in Ukraine.said Sviatoslav.
They also called on him to further advocate for the release of prisoners of war, especially mentioning the Redemptorist priests Ivan Levytski and Bohdan Haleta, who are still in Russian captivity.
For its part, the Vatican reported in another statement that at the meeting, which lasted almost two hours, Bishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the supreme archbishop of Kyiv and head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, “reminded the painful situation in which his country finds itself, with an ever-increasing the number of dead, wounded and tortured and thanked the Pope for the love shown in so many ways and on so many occasions.
The Vatican statement adds that Francis “expressed his pain due to the feeling of helplessness he experienced before the war, “a thing of the devil, who wants to destroy” and above all explained that the Ukrainian children he meets in the audience “look and have a forgotten smile” and added: “This is one of the fruits of war: taking away children’s smiles.”
The Pope expressed his wish that in the month of October, especially in shrines, the prayer of the rosary be dedicated to peace and tranquility in Ukraine.
Source: Panama America
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
