"Let those who want to pray be allowed to pray in what they consider their church" Pope Francis said.

None of the warring parties have heeded the Pope's pleas for the war to cease.

Praying is never evil

"I continue to follow with sorrow the fighting in Ukraine and the Russian Federation. And in thinking about the laws recently adopted in Ukraine, I fear for the freedom of those who pray" the pope said after his Angelus address on Sunday.

Those who truly pray always pray for all, he said, explaining why he was concerned.

"A person does not commit evil because of praying. If someone commits evil against his people, he will be guilty for it but he cannot have committed evil because he prayed.

"Please, let no Christian church be abolished directly or indirectly. Churches are not to be touched!" he said.

New law

In April, a Kyiv International Institute of Sociology study found 83 percent thought the Government should intervene in the activities of the UOC.

The study also found 63 percent supported banning the UOC altogether.

On August 24, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed into law a bill banning the branch of the UOC dependent on the Moscow Patriarchate.

It is the country's main denomination.

Religious groups with ties to Russia have been given nine months to sever their relationship with Moscow or leave the country.

Persecution alleged

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, who supports Russia's invasion of Ukraine, is not pleased with the new law.

He says Kyiv is "persecuting" followers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church dependent on the Moscow Patriarchate.

The split has deepened the Russia-Ukraine conflict's religious dimension, giving Kirill cause to defend Russia's invasion.

It is a holy war, he says.

However, that branch of the Orthodox Church has been losing influence since a new independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church was founded in 2018.

Nonetheless, it still has thousands of Ukrainian parishes.

Conflicted interests alleged

Even though UOC cut ties with Moscow in 2022 after the conflict in Ukraine began, Ukrainian authorities consider it to be under Russian influence.

The authorities have increasingly launched legal actions, searches and seizures against it.

The Ukraine security service has accused the UOC of acting as a platform to justify the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Its churches are havens for spies, the security service alleges. It has launched criminal proceedings against at least 100 UOC clergy members. So far, 26 clergy have been sentenced.

Source

• La Croix
• RNS

Not somewhere in the left-right-out corner either. On the front line. Just as she was in this picture (front) when she was packing medical supplies.

This isn't a sudden whim. She and her American-based partner Jason Zan have been providing hands-on support in Ukraine since the 2022 invasion.

In August, the couple intend returning to feed hungry soldiers and civilians via a semi-mobile food kitchen.

They're targeting areas with the most need, possibly Kharkiv or Zaporizhzhia in southeastern Ukraine, Campbell says.

Horrific situation

She describes the situation in Ukraine as "horrific" and said during her latest visit Kharkiv was hit about four times in a week.

Animals as well as people are traumatised, homeless and in need of support. Some die.

"I was working in the northern end of the city and could feel and hear the missile strikes and at least one of those strikes killed a whole family.

"This time it felt very different, and I saw how people who have worked tirelessly and bravely for two years trying to hold the line are feeling the strain and looking tired.

"The mental toll it's taking on both soldiers and civilians is massive. This only motivates us to want to return to help in any way we can."

Why do it?

Campbell says she finds it hard to explain why she and Zan are willing to put their safety at risk for the Ukrainian people. They're not Ukrainian and have no Ukrainian relatives.

"It's hard to put in a few words, but I think it was seeing how the people of Ukraine are so determined to keep fighting ... Their unbreakable spirit and generosity are awe-inspiring, and they drew me in.

"I've made some deep and meaningful relationships during my visits to Ukraine and that only motivates me even more to want to return."

Ukraine need still high

Tenby Powell, former Tauranga mayor and chairman of volunteer humanitarian aid organisation Kiwi K.A.R.E (Kiwi Aid and Refugee Evacuation), first met Campbell in Kharkiv in November 2022.

"I hadn't been made aware Harriet was in Kharkiv and was thrilled to meet her.

"She was running a kitchen and cooking for internally displaced persons. Harriet was also working in a bakery supplying military hospitals and schools with fresh bread and hot meals."

At that time Ukraine had some 14 million displaced people, he says.

"In late 2022, Kharkiv was still hit regularly and intensively by missile and drone attacks and I admired Harriett for being there and getting stuck in with a practical Kiwi can-do attitude.

"Despite media attention having been diverted almost exclusively to Gaza, the full-scale war in Ukraine is still raging and Harriet and her partner will be welcomed back with open arms."

Source

• NZ Herald

They come from Ternopil, in the western part of their country devastated by the war imposed by Russia since February 24, 2022.

The three young women are among the approximately 300 young Ukrainians - 15 of whom met the pope on August 3 - participating in the World Youth Days (WYD) with the support of L'Œuvre d'Orient, a French Catholic charity.

In the midst of the pilgrims, the Ukrainian flag acts like a magnet. Many rush to take a photo, shouting "Slava Ukraïni!" ("Glory to Ukraine!").

"We are warmly welcomed by everyone here, after a very long journey," said Mariia.

"When the people hear us speaking Ukrainian, they come to us."

The young woman travelled to Lisbon to "rebuild unity" with all the young Catholics from around the world, a unity that "constitutes the strength of Ukrainians.

"In our prayers, we constantly carry our families, our friends who remained in Ukraine," she continued.

"We pray for all the young people who went to battle to defend our lives."

"God will lead us to victory," she asserts, with the cold gaze of those who are going through the worst.

While their city of origin is far from the frontlines, Natalia wants to be able to testify about her life disrupted by the Russian invasion and the "horrors" caused by the war.

"We receive internally displaced people, and we are bombed. We pray for our safety and raise our cries to Heaven," said the young Ukrainian who participates in the World Youth Day to "encounter the living God again," far from the death sown by the war.

"I want to return to Ukraine animated by this spirit of encounter," Natalia said.

Reminding that Ukraine's fight concerns all of Europe

In Lisbon, the 300 Ukrainians regularly carry out actions aimed at 'not letting the world forget the evil that Russia has brought'.

"We must constantly remind the world that if Ukraine were not fighting on the front lines," this evil could spread to "all of Europe," Natalia said.

Standing beside the young people for whom he is responsible, the Greek-Catholic Father Roman Demush, with his black beard and penetrating gaze, echoes the young woman's words.

"Speaking about the war, about those who suffer, is not a political question," he declares, as if addressing potential critics. "It's a matter of life."

It is safe to say that the priest is protecting his young people. When asked about the presence of a group of young Russian Catholics at the World Youth Day, the young women let Father Demush respond on their behalf.

"It is essential not to add more suffering to our young people," he said firmly.

Fear of the pilgrims' reactions

A few hours earlier, a few kilometres from Belém, on the square in front of the Church of Our Lady of Mercy, a rare calm reigns during these World Youth Day events.

You have to pass through the first door of the building and have a keen eye to spot the information panel, recounting the history of this Manueline-style church.

The explanations are written in Portuguese, French, Spanish, English, and... Russian.

This is where the catechises are given for the 16 young people who came from Russia.

Although they all come from Moscow, only a small dozen are of Russian nationality, with the rest being foreign students. Here, the national flag is not displayed.

"We had it up on the first day," said Vera, who asked to not be quoted under her real name.

"Most people reacted positively, treated us like human beings and not like Russians might be treated these days. But some had very negative reactions, and now we hesitate to display it."

As a sign of the tension within the group, two young people cancelled their trip at the last moment, fearing reactions from other pilgrims.

Others did not obtain the necessary authorization from the Russian authorities. The war is never explicitly mentioned; it is a taboo subject. They barely talk about a "difficult situation."

"Faith is the last thing that keeps us going," confided another Russian pilgrim of Ukrainian origin, some of whose family still lives in Ukraine.

"We crossed paths with the Ukrainian pilgrims, but we didn't dare to approach them; we were afraid of their reaction," the young woman said.

"Still, I would like to try to talk to them."

All "members of the universal Church"

Despite their fears, Vera does not regret having come to Lisbon.

"As young Catholics, it is also our mission to heal wounds through dialogue and encounter," she said.

"We must build bridges for the future. Without taking major actions, we pray for peace as members of the universal Church."

This attempt at outreach finds no response from the Ukrainian side, which indirectly opposes it.

"Let's not worsen the wounds of the young Ukrainians," said Father Demush.

"First and foremost, these young Russians must take a position and name the evil. If they do not, they endorse the abuses committed by their army."

Such a public declaration could lead to legal action against the Russians upon their return, due to the repression carried out by Vladimir Putin's regime, which has tightened its control over the media since the beginning of the war.

• Matthieu Lasserre is a journalist at La Croix.
• First published in La Croix. Republished with permission.

Crux reports on August 5 that during a semi-private meeting, a Russian Orthodox bishop expressed regret for the Ukraine war, thanking Francis for supporting the Ukrainian people.

"I would like to thank you very much for all you have done for the Ukrainian people," the Russian Orthodox bishop told Pope Francis.

The comment was made during a private meeting with interreligious leaders and was translated by Portuguese Father Peter Stillwell, director of the Portuguese bishops' Department of Ecumenical Relations and Interreligious Dialogue.

However a report from the Pillar, the American news website, makes it clear the politics of a private meeting did not translate to the World Youth Day public devotion where there was a notable absence of any reference to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The meditations there centred generally on problems that youth typically face, such as uncertainty about the future, issues with mental health and the scourges of drugs, pornography and alcohol, but also conflict and a lack of religious freedom.

While there were general references to the suffering caused by war, there was no mention of the conflict that has the world on edge.

The Vatican's handling of the Ukraine issue has been fraught with tension.

During the past two Via Crucis observances on Good Friday in Rome, the Holy See insisted on including a symbolic gesture for peace in Ukraine, involving both a Ukrainian and a Russian.

Neither time was Ukraine amused, leading to strained relations between the Vatican and Kyiv.

According to a source within the WYD organisation, Rome initially insisted on a similar gesture though it was unclear if it was intended for the Via Crucis devotions.

The Ukrainians made it clear that there would be diplomatic repercussions this time, and local organisers managed to dissuade the Holy See from repeating the gesture.

A compromise was reached including a visit to Ukraine by Bishop Américo Aguiar, who headed the WYD task force, to assure local Catholics that they had not been forgotten.

It is unknown whether Pope Francis' decision to hold a private audience for Ukrainian pilgrims, during which he prayed with them, was also part of the compromise.

The delicate handling of the Ukraine issue underscores the Vatican's complex position in a conflict that has strained international relations.

The Pope's actions continue to be scrutinised as the world seeks a peaceful resolution to a crisis that shows no signs of resolution.

Asked en route to Rome why he skipped the peace prayer at Lourdes, the Pope said he did not want to give publicity to a public prayer.

"I prayed! I prayed! I prayed to the Madonna and I prayed for peace. I didn't make publicity. But I prayed. And we have to continually repeat this prayer for peace."

A Vatican official, speaking on condition he not be named, denied that any ecclesial-diplomatic considerations entered Francis' decision-making.

Sources

• Crux
• The Pillar
• Associated Press

Pope Francis will arrive in Lisbon, Portugal on Wednesday for the August 1-6 international WYD gathering.

Delegations of young Russians and Ukrainians are expected to be there despite their countries being at war, Church sources say.

L'Œuvre d'Orient, the Paris-based Church agency that supports Christians from the East, says it's helping pay for nearly 300 Ukrainians' WYD costs.

The Vatican says 18 young adults from Russia will also be at WYD. They'll be with one of Russia's Catholic bishops.

Both groups are said to include young women for the most part, as in both Russia and Ukraine most young men have military obligations.

Some foreign university students living in Russia are among the Russian delegation.

Vatican support

The Vatican is eager to highlight the presence of the young Russians and Ukrainians as an opportunity to encourage 'reconciliation'.

"WYD is traditionally a time for intercultural encounters which can also be encounters of peace," a Vatican source says.

Young people from other war-torn countries will also be at WYD, the Vatican source confirms. These include youth from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

However, a group of Syrian Catholics had to cancel their WYD plans as Portuguese authorities have refused to grant them entrance visas.

Pope's programme

During his five days in Portugal, Francis's programme does not include any specific initiative to bring young Russians and Ukrainians together.

However, there may be an opportunity to do so.

Since the war began, Francis has twice brought Ukrainians and Russians together.

Some criticised him, not for being pro-Russian but for putting the two countries on the same level.

This was the case during the celebration of the Via Crucis (Stations of the Cross) this past Good Friday, when he asked a Russian and a Ukrainian to offer side-by-side testimonies about the horrors of the war.

The pope did something similar in 2022 when a Russian and a Ukrainian woman to carry a large wooden cross together and in silence at one of the Stations.

During a weekly general audience last April, Francis urged people to pray for the mothers of Ukrainian and Russian soldiers killed died in the war.

This also provoked criticism.

Fatima, a symbolic location

Peace will likely be a recurring theme in the speeches and homilies Francis delivers at WYD.

He will almost certainly focus on peace this coming Saturday when he goes to the Marian Shrine of Fatima.

About 100 years ago the shrine was a constant reference point for the Church as it prayed for the conversion of 'atheist' Communist Russia.

One of Fatima's 'visionaries' revealed Our Lady had told her to pass a message to the pope: he was to consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Francis referred to this message in March 2022, when he re-consecrated Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

"This is no magic formula but a spiritual act," Francis said. Rather, the consecration was like calling to a "Mother" for help.

Source

• La Croix

Ivan Smyglia and Denys Kurpikov say Sister Lucia Murashko presented them with "no other option".

Murashko (pictured with the taxi drivers) is a member of the Sisters of the Order of St Basil the Great of the Ukrainian Catholic Church. She's the driving force behind their efforts.

They go with her into the ‘grey zone' about 50 kilometres away.

The grey zone refers to the villages on the front line, between the Ukrainian and Russian Federation armies — territories that Ukraine does not control.

The Basilian sisters have been providing humanitarian aid within their parish community and to civilians and Ukrainian soldiers on the front since the war began in February last year.

Smyglia was running a successful taxi company in Ukraine and Poland when war broke out.

"When the war started, my team and I had no other option. I had a feeling deep inside that we needed to help.

"And together with friends, we took our cars and some savings that we had — called some people, some people prepared food — and we started to deliver aid to our military."

Many people had been without water or electricity for several months, he said.

He and Kuprikov have been delivering humanitarian aid to the front line full time ever since.

Smyglia said his initiative began very simply. "I just wrote a message on my apartment building's chat app: ‘Please bring whatever you can.'"

At first, people brought large shopping bags filled with goods.That dwindled after a couple of months.

"Then, just when we thought that we couldn't do any more ... we met Sister Lucia.

"And we came to an agreement that she would help us," Kuprikov says.

Last July, the sisters began providing Smyglia and Kuprikov with supplies like food, clothing, mats, sleeping bags and electric generators.

Whenever the taxi drivers spoke of needs they encountered, the sisters told them "Send us a list and we will take care of it."

Kuprikov recalled once driving into the "grey zone" under mortar fire with Murashko.

"Sister Lucia took my hand and said, ‘Everything is OK. God is with us.' These were not words I paid much attention to before.

"But now, when ...there are some difficult circumstances, I recall Sister Lucia's words and I feel better."

Smyglia said it was impossible for him to calculate the amount of aid they had delivered to soldiers and civilians.

He says his experience has started a "new page" in his life.

"I had really no clue about the Church, the faith, and my opinion about all of that.

"I didn't understand it. There was no one to teach me when I was little."

He now wants to propose to his wife of 21 years that they marry in the Church.

The family man says his marriage will be stronger.

"I love my wife and my children very much — they are my soul and my heart — I cannot imagine my life without them, but we should be wed in the eyes of God."

Source

• OSV News

"I cannot morally endorse this request for arms because I don't know all the details — but we cannot defend ourselves without arms," said Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv-Halych.

"It may sound strange that religious leaders favor the military support Ukraine is looking for, but to survive, we have to defend ourselves. If someone knows how we can stop Russian troops without arms, let them please tell us the secret."

The church leader made the comments at a Feb 8 online seminar organized by the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, as Zelenskyy requested fighter jets and missiles during visits to London and Paris.

Read More

As Russian airstrikes knock out power and wreak havoc on critical infrastructure, Kyiv's mayor Vitaly Klitschko said Christmas trees will be erected across the Ukrainian capital to mark Christmas and the New Year.

Klitschko's call comes after weeks of sustained aerial attacks on Ukraine's energy grid, which have left families across the country without electricity, light or water intermittently.

A Christmas tree of "invincibility" will be installed in St Sophia Square, Klitschko said. It will be 12 meters high and "decorated with energy-saving lights" that will be generator powered.

Once Christmas passes, the company that provided the generator will donate it to the Ukrainian armed forces, according to Klitschko's social media post.

However, energy company YASNO said the trees will not be illuminated, and mass events will remain prohibited under martial law.

But "no one is going to cancel the New Year and Christmas, and there should be an atmosphere of the New Year," Klitschko told Ukrainian news outlet RBC-Ukraine. "We cannot let Putin steal our Christmas," he claimed.

It was confirmed that any tree installations would not have mains-powered lights, given the pressure on the Ukrainian grid. The use of the generator appears to be an alternative.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska has urged the international community to remain focused on the conflict as the festive season approaches.

"We do hope that the approaching season of Christmas doesn't make you forget about our tragedy and get used to our suffering," she said in a BBC radio interview on Tuesday, while on a visit to London.

"I realise that nine months is a very long time, and Ukrainians are very tired of this war, but we have no choice in the matter. We are fighting for our lives. The British public do have a choice: They can get used to our tragedy and concentrate on their own important things in life," she said.

Sources

CNN

Reuters

The Pope's move came as Russian president, Vladimir Putin, oversaw a dramatic Russian military drill simulating a massive nuclear strike on Wednesday.

Putin repeatedly claims that Ukraine was preparing a "dirty bomb".

"We are at a crossroads: We can be the generation that lets the planet and humanity die, that hoards and sells weapons in the illusion of saving only ourselves against others, or we can be the generation that creates new ways of living together, doesn't invest in arms, abolishes war as an instrument for solving conflicts and halts the extraordinary exploitation of the planet's resources," the pope said.

Francis spoke to a crowd gathered before the arches of the Colosseum, where religious and political representatives met on Tuesday to appeal for peace and interreligious dialogue.

"The Cry for Peace," an ecumenical event, was organised by the Catholic lay movement of Sant'Egidio, which works closely with the pope on matters of war, conflict, migrants and refugees.

Attending the event were religious leaders from all over the world. Among them were the Patriarch Mar Awa III Royel of the Assyrian Church in Iraq, World Methodist Council President Jong Chun Park and the Orthodox Archbishop Dionysius John Kawak of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch.

"With firm conviction, we say: No more war! Let's halt every conflict," Francis said.

"War only leads to death and destruction. It's a trip with no return where we are all losers."

Francis's speech focused on the priority of dialogue over violence and underlined the importance of re-energising discussions for the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons and reducing the threat of nuclear war.

He recalled how on October 25, 1962, at the height of the Cuban missile crisis, Pope John XXIII delivered a radio message appealing to leaders of the time to bring the world back from the brink.

"Today, in fact, something we dreaded and hoped never to hear of again is threatened outright: the use of nuclear weapons, which even after Hiroshima and Nagasaki continued wrongly to be produced and tested," Francis said.

"Sadly, since then, wars have continued to cause bloodshed and to impoverish the earth. Yet, the situation that we are presently experiencing is particularly dramatic.

"This year our prayer has become a heartfelt plea, because today peace has been gravely violated, assaulted and trampled upon, and this in Europe, on the very continent that in the last century endured the horrors of two world wars."

Sources

US News

Religion News Service

The Australian

Speaking to a large crowd at his weekly general audience in St Peter's Square, Francis also appealed to "those who have the fate of the war in their hands" to stop.

"My heart is always with the Ukrainian people, especially the residents of the places that have been hit by relentless bombings," Francis said.

"May (God's) spirit transform the hearts of those who have the fate of the war in their hands, so that the hurricane of violence stops and peaceful coexistence in justice can be rebuilt."

Earlier this week, at least 26 people were killed when Ukraine was struck by the heaviest bombardment since the war began in February.

Russian missile strikes hit multiple locations in the centre of the capital, Kyiv, and also Lviv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, and other cities, claiming several lives and causing numerous casualties.

Meanwhile, in Amsterdam, International Mobile Justice teams prosecutors are investigating the ongoing Russian missile strikes on Kyiv and other cities to determine if they are war crimes.

When asked if the attacks could be considered war crimes, the Vatican's number two, Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said he was not qualified to make such a technical, juridical judgment.

"But certainly, they are unacceptable acts that cry out vengeance before God and before humanity because bombing unarmed civilians is beyond any logic. It is to be totally condemned," Parolin said.

Russia denies targeting civilians in its military operation in Ukraine. It has accused the West of escalating and prolonging the conflict by supporting Kyiv.

Francis directly called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the "spiral of violence and death", saying the crisis was risking uncontrollable global consequences.

Sources

Reuters

Vatican News

CathNews New Zealand

The priest, who asked not to be named, also dismissed President Vladimir Putin's threats of nuclear war as "just words".

"Although I'm not a military person, I don't think the Russian army could even use nuclear weapons — and if it did, this would be much more dangerous for Russia itself than anyone else," the unnamed priest said.

"People are certainly frightened here, particularly since Catholic parishioners and clergy could now be called up, beginning with those who've done military service. But I don't think there's much to fear from Putin, who's just coming out with words."

Street protests erupted in Russia after Putin's 21 September order for a national call-up of 300,000 reservists after setbacks in the Ukraine war.

The priest told Catholic News Service that students and young people had "reacted very emotionally" to the mobilisation order, with many debating its practical consequences.

"Some young Catholics have already left the country, and more are doing so now," the priest told CNS.

"The mass mobilisation will very much affect church life here, particularly since many Catholics are strongly against the war and won't want to take part. But those with military training up to age 50 may well have to go, while the order could soon be extended to others who haven't even done military service."

In his speech, Putin said his "special military operation" was continuing to liberate Ukraine's eastern Donbas region from a "neo-Nazi regime".

The Russian leader commented that his country would use "all means at its disposal," including nuclear weapons, to resist attempts by Western countries to "weaken, divide and ultimately destroy" it, while aggressively imposing "their will and pseudo-values".

He added that the partial mobilisation would initially concern "only military reservists" with "specific occupational specialities and corresponding experience," who would be given additional training for active service.

The Russian priest told CNS most protesters had previously been against the war and that most soldiers had been recruited from Russia's more remote regions.

The priest told CNS that a "much larger group" of previously undecided citizens could also come out in opposition once the draft gained momentum and the war was "brought closer to people in the main cities".

Sources

CruxNow

Cardinal Konrad Krajewski said during his visit to the grave site on 19 September that "seeing so many [dead] in one area is a difficult thing … to explain."

"The words of Sacred Scripture came to mind that evil must always be overcome with good," he told Vatican News.

Krajewski visited Izium in northeastern Ukraine two days after he was shot at as he delivered humanitarian aid near the city of Zaporizhzhia. He was not injured in the incident.

Read More

Pope Francis made that appeal on Sunday as he spoke to pilgrims gathered in St Peter's Square for the Angelus prayer.

The Pope also recalled that he had sent Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, to Ukraine to visit various communities and "offer concrete witness to the closeness of the Pope and the Church."

The Holy See Press Office announced the Polish-born Cardinal's fourth visit to the country on Wednesday. He will travel to the cities of Odessa, Žytomyr, Kharkiv and other places in eastern Ukraine.

Pope Francis' appeal comes as the situation at the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant continues to worry international experts.

Read More

"It will be the hardest one since World War II," said Jan Sobiło (pictured), auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Kharkiv-Zaporizhzhia.

"I already ordered wood from western Ukraine; it will be a very hard winter with many shortages of gas, electricity and water supplies," the bishop told Crux.

"People are installing heating units for wood and coal; they don't have a choice, winter is not wonderland here, and certainly it won't be this year," he said.

Zaporizhzhia is the location of a nuclear power plant currently occupied by the Russians.

The Russian forces and Ukrainian army accuse the each other of shelling the plant, the largest nuclear facility in Europe.

"That would be a disaster on many levels, including humanitarian, since we have so many IDPs [internally displaced people] from Mariupol and Melitopol here," Sobiło said.

"We pray, of course, that it doesn't happen, but we are also ready for potential evacuation, and for spending days in our basements to wait until the radioactivity goes down a bit and people are allowed to move," he said.

It is not a common image to see a bishop in a bulletproof vest, but this is the reality of Sobiło's current ministry. He is often visiting soldiers in hospitals and comforting people who lost their loved ones.

The bishop said during a war a priest becomes as close as a family member to his people.

"Sometimes we are like a brother, sometimes like a father, and sometimes like a son to someone. Our ministry is now very individual, so any time there is a particular need to help spiritually or materially, we go wherever we're needed," he said.

Although born in Poland, the bishop said he has no plans to leave Ukraine for his homeland's safety.

"I'm not going anywhere," he told Crux. Like all the Catholic bishops in the country, he is staying with his people.

"If our people stay, we stay. When they're forced to go, we'll go. If God wants us here, God will provide."

Sources

Crux Now

"The Ukrainian authorities know education is vital for the country's future, so everything is being done to get youngsters back to school, even while our soldiers are fighting at the front," Auxiliary Bishop Jan Sobilo of Kharkiv-Zaporizhzhia told Catholic News Service.

"Although the war drags on, there are basic things we must provide them with, including the possibility of being educated. Children can best help Ukraine and their families by studying for their homeland's future."

Classes restarted across Ukraine on 1 September after months of disruption caused by Russia's 24 February invasion, amid warnings that children needed protection against shells and bombs.

Read More

Last week, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba summoned the Vatican's ambassador in Kyiv to protest, saying the pope's words were "unfair" and had "broken Ukraine's heart".

That move followed sharp criticism of the pope by Ukraine's ambassador to the Vatican, Andrii Yurash.

Francis sparked the controversy last Wednesday while speaking off script at his weekly general audience on the day Ukraine marked its independence from Soviet rule in 1991 and six months after Russian forces invaded.

"Innocents pay for war," Francis said in a sentence where he referred to "that poor girl thrown in the air by a bomb under the seat of a car in Moscow".

Read More

In an 25 August briefing, Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba told journalists that summoning a nuncio to the ministry was unprecedented. He said more details about the meeting would be forthcoming.

"I will say frankly that the Ukrainian heart is torn by the pope's words. It was unfair," Kuleba added.

At the end of his general audience talk in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican on 24 August, six months after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Pope Francis repeated his calls for peace and spoke of how so many people were affected by war. He noted that no nationalities were spared when it came to children becoming orphans in war, and he said "war is madness" on all sides.

As an example, the pope spoke of "that poor girl flown into the air because of a bomb under her car seat in Moscow. The innocent pay for war. The innocent."

Read More

The Center for Countering Disinformation, an agency of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine - which advises the president of Ukraine - has compiled a list of over 78 international figures who are accused of promoting so-called "Russian propaganda."

And I happen to be included on that list.

Now that begs the question: Why is an internationally syndicated Catholic social justice and peace columnist on such a list?

Well, I don't exactly know why. But I have a pretty good hunch.

Just a few days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, I participated in an international Zoom conference hosted by the Schiller Institute - which sought to warn against possible imminent nuclear war and to inspire a fresh non-violent, just, egalitarian approach to the never-ending wars and economic injustices experienced by the world's poor and disenfranchised.

My small contribution was a concise presentation entitled, "War is not inevitable! We have a moral obligation to save Afghans from starving! The need to create a new, human-centred paradigm."

In my presentation, I highlighted the moral necessity of the U.S. - considering its 20-year history of waging war in Afghanistan - to significantly increase emergency and ongoing developmental aid to Afghanistan, ensuring that all Afghans, especially the children, do not starve to death - a tragedy still unfolding.

Additionally, I attempted to highlight the obvious catastrophe of the imminent war between Russia and Ukraine, hoping to help avoid that preventable armed conflict.

Also, I urged for a new economic, political, and societal global model that replaces corporate greed, indifference, and raw military power with total respect for all human life and human dignity.

Some of the speakers participating in this and other Schiller Institute conferences have been intellectually critical of certain aspects of the Ukrainian government, as well as U.S. and NATO designs on Ukraine. For example, the apparent openness of NATO to the future possibility of Ukraine becoming an actual member of their military alliance, even though Ukraine borders the Russian Federation.

So, my hunch is that because I was a participant in a Schiller Institute conference and because in a few of my columns, I have been critical of the U.S. and NATO pumping billions of dollars' worth of weapons into Ukraine - which is helping to fuel the war, not end it, and is lining the pockets of weapon producing corporations like Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Boeing - Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation has decided that I am a promoter of "Russian propaganda."

But truth be told, I am a promoter of the nonviolent Gospel of Jesus Christ!

As illustrated in the war between Russia and Ukraine, armed conflicts, and violence of all sorts, are tools of the devil. Christians need to relearn the Gospel truth that the words and example of the Lord Jesus always clearly oppose the use of violence.

The late preeminent theologian and biblical scholar, Fr John McKenzie said, "If Jesus does not reject violence for any reason, we do not know anything about Jesus. Jesus taught us not how to kill but how to die."

John Paul II powerfully said, "Violence is evil, that violence is unacceptable as a solution to problems, that violence is unworthy of man. Violence is a lie, for it goes against the truth of our faith, the truth of our humanity. Violence destroys what it claims to defend: the dignity, the life, the freedom of human beings."

• Tony Magliano is an internationally syndicated Catholic social justice and peace columnist. He is available to speak at diocesan or parish gatherings. Tony can be reached at tmag6@comcast.net.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Ukrainian Health Minister Viktor Liashko said Russian authorities have repeatedly blocked efforts to provide state-subsidised drugs to people in occupied cities, towns and villages.

"Throughout the entire six months of war, Russia has not allowed proper humanitarian corridors so we could provide our own medicines to the patients that need them" Liashko said, speaking at the Health Ministry in Kyiv on Friday.

"We believe that these actions are being taken with intent by Russia, and we consider them to be crimes against humanity and war crimes that will be documented and will be recognised," the minister said.

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The animosity has deepened to the point where police and the Race Relations Commissioner have become involved.

Commissioner Meng Foon said he was "acutely aware" of the strong feelings and had offered to broker talks between opposing sides.

"If I can help facilitate a conversation - either online or in person - my door is always open," Foon said. Read more