Russia’s latest strike on Odesa on Sunday killed two people and severely damaged a historic Orthodox cathedral, drawing a vow of retaliation from Ukraine’s leader. The attack came as President Vladimir Putin met his Belarusian counterpart for talks in Russia and claimed Kyiv’s counteroffensive had “failed”. Russia has pounded the Ukrainian port city of Odesa Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Russia-Ukraine war’
Pope’s Ukraine envoy wraps up whirlwind diplomatic visit to DC
Monday, July 24th, 2023Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Pope Francis’s personal peace envoy for the war in Ukraine, closed a two-day visit to Washington DC Wednesday, capping a whirlwind round of high-level civil and ecclesial meetings. Zuppi was in Washington DC from July 17-19 along with an unnamed representative of the Vatican’s Secretariat of State to “continue the mission Read more
Russia acknowledges Vatican peace initiative
Monday, May 29th, 2023
Russia has reacted positively to the Pope’s Ukraine peace initiative. There are no immediate plans for a Vatican mission to Moscow, however. The Russian Foreign Ministry’s statement about the peace initiative was Moscow’s first public acknowledgement of the pope’s overtures. It followed the Vatican’s weekend announcement that Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi (pictured), has been suggested Read more
Italian cardinal entrusted with Ukraine peace mission
Monday, May 22nd, 2023
Pope Francis has entrusted Cardinal Matteo Zuppi (pictured) to head the Russia and Ukraine peace mission on behalf of the Vatican, the Holy See press office said on Saturday. Zuppi is a prominent Italian cardinal known for his close association with the pontiff. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni announced the development on Saturday, revealing that the Read more
Pope, Ukrainian leader talk about humanitarian situation provoked by war
Monday, May 15th, 2023Pope Francis spent 40 minutes speaking privately with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Vatican, their first face-to-face meeting since the war began. After literally hundreds of public prayers for peace in Ukraine and 443 days after Russia launched an all-out war on the Eastern European country, Pope Francis welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Read more
Ukraine and Russia deny Vatican involved in a peace plan
Thursday, May 4th, 2023
The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin confirmed Thursday that there is a Vatican peace plan to try to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. He expressed surprise that officials in both countries claimed ignorance of the Vatican’s plan. “Based on my knowledge, they know, but you know how it is, in bureaucracies, it could Read more
Blessing of homosexual couples ‘blasphemy’
Monday, March 27th, 2023
A German Cardinal covered many topics in a recent media interview – blasphemy, the pope, LGBT and the German bishops featured in Cardinal Gerhard Müller’s comments. One comment was that Pope Francis should correct and, if necessary, punish some German bishops. Müller was referring to those who have approved “heretical texts” and “proposals directly against Read more
Deal extends Ukraine grain shipments to developing nations
Thursday, March 23rd, 2023
An agreement allowing shipments of grain to flow from Ukraine through the Black Sea to developing countries has been extended, officials said on Saturday. The agreement was first signed with the United Nations and Turkey in July last year, following a halt to shipping and fears of a global food crisis after Russia invaded Ukraine. Read more
Spokesman for Russian Catholic bishops: ‘There is no foreseeable solution’ to Ukraine war
Thursday, March 2nd, 2023Speaking with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, Father Kirill Gorbunov, who is also vicar general of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of the Mother of God at Moscow, said that “the majority of the people are suffering” and that “after a year of war [with Ukraine], there is no foreseeable solution.” “It seems that the Read more
Catholic priest from Ukraine gives Pope Francis cross made out of war rubble
Monday, February 27th, 2023Father Vyacheslav Grynevych vividly remembers the first day of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine one year ago. The Catholic priest woke up to a phone call: “Father, wake up because the war has started.” “I understood that my life would never be the same as before,” Grynevych said. A few days ahead of the Read more