Cardinal Matteo Zuppi returned to Moscow on Monday to meet with Russian authorities as part of the peace mission entrusted to him by Pope Francis. The cardinal’s trip to Moscow is to “evaluate further efforts to promote family reunification of Ukrainian children and the exchange of prisoners, with a view to achieving the much-hoped-for peace,” Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Russia-Ukraine war’
Pope urges peace in Ukraine during Zelensky visit to Vatican
Monday, October 14th, 2024
Pope Francis met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday at the Vatican to discuss the humanitarian crisis and possible paths to peace. The Pope expressed particular concern for Ukrainian children impacted by the war. He noted that many had “lost the ability to smile” according to a statement from the Holy See Press Office. Read more
‘Peace is only possible if it is wanted,’ Cardinal Parolin tells UN assembly
Thursday, October 3rd, 2024Amid ongoing and potentially escalating conflict in both the Middle East and Ukraine, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin cautioned gathered delegates at the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in New York Sept 28 that, “peace is only possible if it is wanted.” While it was earlier rumoured that Pope Francis might Read more
After centuries, Ukraine cuts religious ties with Russia
Thursday, September 26th, 2024On 24 August, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a new law that aims to deny Russia one of its major avenues of influence. The law explicitly bans the Russian Orthodox Church, which has long been entangled with the Russian security state, in Ukraine. However, in a more contentious move, the law also banned religious entities Read more
Vatican calls for ban on killer robots
Monday, September 2nd, 2024
The Vatican has renewed its call for international restrictions on autonomous weapons systems, often referred to as “killer robots”, as their use in conflicts such as those in Ukraine and Gaza increases. Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, the Vatican’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations in Geneva, pushed for the move, highlighting the moral implications of allowing Read more
Ukraine Nuncio urges Catholic aid after prisoner ‘horror stories’
Thursday, August 29th, 2024
The Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine, Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, has urged for increased Catholic aid to support prisoners of war and civilians freed from Russian captivity, following reports of “horror stories” from those released. The archbishop wants more international support in areas where the Ukrainian government struggles to provide adequate resources. Archbishop Kulbokas highlighted three critical Read more
Ukrainian Catholic priests freed from Russian captivity
Monday, July 1st, 2024Two disappeared Ukrainian Greek Catholic priests seized by Russian forces from their church in Berdyansk in November 2022 have been released after months of captivity, according to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Redemptorist Fathers Ivan Levitsky and Bohdan Geleta, who served at the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in Berdyansk, were among Read more
Ukraine sees religious growth surge amid conflict
Monday, June 10th, 2024
Ukraine has experienced a surge in religious growth since February 2022. The number of registered religious organisations has climbed by over 3,000, according to Kyiv’s State Service on Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience. The increase brings the total number of religious organisations in Ukraine to 36,195. A key change is the movement of around 1,000 Read more
‘Stop The War’: Pope Francis pleads for peace in Ukraine, Gaza wars
Monday, April 29th, 2024The pope issued a plea for an end to the wars raging in Ukraine and Gaza during a rare interview with CBS News on Wednesday. “Please. Countries at war, all of them, stop the war. Look to negotiate. Look for peace,” Pope Francis told “CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell during the hourlong interview. “A Read more
Pope shows off rosary of slain Ukrainian soldier, denounces ‘madness of war’
Monday, April 8th, 2024Pope Francis led thousands of people in a moment of silence Wednesday to pray for the aid workers killed by an Israeli strike in Gaza and a young Ukrainian soldier named Oleksandre who was killed in ‘’this madness of war.” Francis appealed anew for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and the release of hostages taken Read more