In an unprecedented diplomatic move, Pope Francis went to the Russian Embassy to the Vatican on Feb. 25  to relay his concern over the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

Several hours after meeting the ambassador, the pope called Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, leader of Ukraine’s Eastern-rite Catholics, who has vowed not to leave Kyiv and has opened up his cathedral’s basement for use as a bomb shelter, to offer support.

On Feb. 26 the pontiff called  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to “express his deepest sorrow for the tragic events taking place in our country,” according to the Ukrainian Embassy to the Holy See.

Zelenskyy wrote on Twitter that he “thanked Pope Francis @Pontifex for praying for peace in Ukraine and a ceasefire. The Ukrainian people feel the spiritual support of His Holiness.”

These acts alone tell of the grave situation playing out in eastern Europe and how perhaps the Vatican could play a larger role in bringing peace to the region.

Bishop of Brooklyn Robert Brennan and Auxiliary Bishop Witold Mroziewski attended an emergency Mass for Ukraine on Saturday night at Guardian Angel Roman Catholic Parish, Brighton Beach.

Many diocesan churches last weekend held Masses dedicated to the plight of all the Ukrainian people, while some reached out to Ukrainian parishes with other forms of support.

Across the country the outpouring of Catholic charity towards the plight of Ukraine was witnessed, as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on Ash Wednesday took up the Collection for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe, which includes Ukraine.

Many bishops took to social media in the wake of the Russian invasion to direct their dioceses to the Catholic Church’s teachings on peace.

Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark, New Jersey, said, “We must always reject war as a political solution and propose honest and respectful dialogue among nations as the only way forward.”

Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, in a Feb. 24 statement on behalf of the nation’s bishops, encouraged Catholics to join Pope Francis’ call to pray and fast to bring an end to the conflict.

“In times of trouble, we call on the tender mercy of God … to guide our feet to the way of peace,” he said, recalling words from the Gospel of Luke. “May our prayers, joined with those of people around the world, help guide those waging war to end the meaningless suffering and restore peace. Our Lady, Queen of Peace, pray for us.”

Bishop Brennan said during his final blessing at morning Mass at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, the morning of the invasion, “We just intensify our prayers because, quite honestly, that’s who we are. We turn to the Lord and we show that dependence, as a light to the world, as salt to the earth.”

These strong commitments should be noted, and all Catholics should stand with Ukraine.