As Russia fired missiles on several Ukrainian cities and Russian troops reportedly landed in Odessa, the head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church affirmed the right of Ukrainians to defend their homeland and assured his people that God would watch over them.
As the threat of war loomed over the world, Pope Francis called on people to pray and fast for peace in Ukraine on Ash Wednesday.
With the “further escalation of tension in Ukraine,” the president of the Polish bishops’ conference asked Polish Catholics to continue praying for peace, but also to be prepared to welcome Ukrainian refugees.
As tensions between Russia and Ukraine continue to escalate and the threat of a full-scale war between the two becomes more palpable, Ukraine’s charitable Caritas organization has said it is preparing for a possible humanitarian crisis should there be an invasion.
On Tuesday, anxiety filled Ukrainians worldwide as Russian military forces moved into eastern portions of the country that contain citizens of Russian heritage who align with Moscow. Among them are members of several Ukrainian Catholic Church parishes in Brooklyn and Queens.
As the world waits for the next chapter in the Ukraine crisis, some in the nation are focusing on forming dialogue, peace-building, and leadership initiatives for future generations.
For Jesuit Father Andriy Zelinskyy and the soldiers he ministers to in Ukraine, the threat of a war with Russia isn’t news; “the war started eight years ago,” he said.
As fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine continue to mount, the Ukrainian Catholic bishops of the U.S. have called for a three-day prayer vigil “for peace and the conversion of the hearts of those who preach violence and escalate war.”
As Ukraine faces a fierce challenge to its young democracy from more than 120,000 Russian forces stacked on its borders, poised to invade at any time, a Rhode Island priest is showing solidarity with the plight of the people of the overwhelmingly Orthodox Christian nation.
The major archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Church reiterated concerns of some of his Baltic neighbors, saying that Ukraine might be on the front lines of a Russian threat, but the threat extends beyond Ukraine.
