It is clear that very extensive damage is being caused to cities in the Ukraine, with significant consequent deaths and harm to essentially civilian populations. Pope Francis' words at the end of the Angelus on 13th March expressed his anguish at this aspect of the war:
Brothers and sisters, we have just prayed to the Virgin Mary. This weekend, the city that bears her name, Mariupol, has become a city martyred by the ruinous war that is devastating Ukraine. Faced with the barbarism of the killing of children, and of innocent and defenceless citizens, there are no strategic reasons that hold up: the only thing to be done is to cease the unacceptable armed aggression before the city is reduced to a cemetery. With an aching heart I add my voice to that of the common people, who implore the end of the war. In the name of God, listen to the cry of those who suffer, and put an end to the bombings and the attacks! Let there be real and decisive focus on the negotiations, and let the humanitarian corridors be effective and safe. In the name of God, I ask you: stop this massacre!
I would like once again to urge the welcoming of the many refugees, in whom Christ is present, and to give thanks for the great network of solidarity that has formed. I ask all diocesan and religious communities to increase their moments of prayer for peace. God is only the God of peace, he is not the God of war, and those who support violence profane his name. Now let us pray in silence for those who suffer, and that God may convert hearts to a steadfast will for peace.
Cardinal Krajewski, the Papal Almoner, has visited Poland and Ukraine in an expression of the closeness of the Holy See to those affected by the Russian invastion. The following is from a Vatican News report of 9th March , Cardinal Krajewski in Lviv:
“I am situated in Lviv, [but] for security reasons we can’t say exactly where,” says the Cardinal. “This is where the large amounts of aid from the European community arrive via Poland. Everything is unloaded in large warehouses, and from here the trucks leave for Kyiv, for Odessa, for the south of the country.” The good news, says Cardinal Krajewski with satisfaction, is that “all this aid is still reaching its destination, despite the bombings.”
This has been confirmed by the bishops of Kiev, Odessa, and Karkhiv, and the apostolic nuncio, Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, with whom Cardinal Krajewski has been in contact. The Pope’s support has been particularly practical in this regard, he says: “Here they have difficulty in finding fuel and therefore, through the Elemosineria [the Office of Papal Charities], the Holy Father has paid for many of the journeys of the trucks that bring humanitarian aid into Ukraine.”
Cardinal Michael Czerny, the acting Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Development made a similar visit to Hungary and Ukraine. A report dated 10th March: Meeting the Refugees brings the War to our Hearts:
Cardinal Michael Czerny, the Prefect ad interim of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development has spent the last few days in Hungary, bringing the Holy Father’s closeness to the thousands of Ukrainian refugees who have fled across the borders in search of safety.
During these days, the Cardinal has met with volunteer aid workers, Church and civil authorities, and has been in concrete, personal contact with the traumatic experience of many Ukrainians who have left their homeland amid the war.
He also visited the Ukrainian city of Berehove, a city close to the border with Hungary and spared by the bombings, which is a gathering point for thousands of refugees on the move.
And from a report of a meeting of Cardinal Czerny with leaders of different Christian denominations in Berehove, collaborating in the care of refugees:
“We are all poor in the face of this challenge of war,” begins Cardinal Czerny, after being asked by those present to thank the Pope for his visit and “for having made the bell of the small Ukraine ring in the Vatican.”
And, as the war in Ukraine began, there was Pope Francis visit to the embassy of the Russian Federation to the Holy See, reported here by Reuters.
[There have also been the interventions of the Secretary of State, Cardinal Parolin, that can be found in coverage at Vatican News.]
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