Fifteen World Youth Day pilgrims from Ukraine, most of whom had lost a father or other close relative in the war, had a private meeting with Pope Francis Aug. 3.
Ukraine
Pope to Russia: Destroying Grain, Creating Hunger is ‘Grave Offense to God’
Destroying grain is a “grave offense to God,” Pope Francis said, appealing to authorities in Russia as “my brothers” and urging them to resume cooperating with a United Nations’ initiative to guarantee the safe transport of grain out of Ukraine.
Ukraine Orthodox Priests Call For Break With Moscow After Cathedral Attack
Priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church have called for breaking ties with the Russian Orthodox Church, following a Russian attack on Odesa that destroyed a historic cathedral while killing two and injuring at least 22, including four children.
Biden, Papal Envoy Meet for Two Hours on Ukraine, Focus on Humanitarian Aid
During a meeting with Pope Francis’s special envoy for Ukraine on Tuesday, U.S. President Joe Biden shared his wishes for the pontiff’s “continued ministry and global leadership,” according to a brief White House statement, but the two men apparently did not identify any specific new pathways to peace.
Pope’s Ukraine Envoy To Meet Biden In Wake of Cluster Bombs Decision
Italian Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, Pope Francis’s personal envoy for the Ukraine-Russia war, will meet with President Joe Biden on July 18 as part of his current trip to Washington to promote peace and discuss solutions to the conflict, the White House has announced.
Pope’s Ukraine Peace Envoy to Meet President Biden in Wake of Cluster Bombs Decision
Pope Francis’s personal envoy for the Ukraine-Russia war, Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, is in Washington this week in a bid to advance talks on humanitarian relief and peace efforts, the Vatican announced Monday.
Pope’s Peace Envoy Meets Pro-Putin Russian Orthodox Leader
Continuing his peace mission on behalf of Pope Francis amid the war in Ukraine, Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi met Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and other leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church Thursday, just days after the Orthodox prelates stood uniformly behind Russian President Vladimir Putin during a short-lived insurrection by Wagner Group mercenaries.
Pope’s Envoy To Travel To Moscow On Peace Mission
Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi will go to Moscow on the second leg of a peace mission on behalf of Pope Francis, the Vatican said.
Catholic Aid Workers See Huge Needs For Flooded Kherson Area, Say People On Russian-Occupied Side ‘Die On Own Rooftops’
Delivering aid in Ukraine’s flooded Kherson area has become a life-threatening task. Aid workers with Caritas and other organizations told OSV News they cannot go on rescue boats without wearing bulletproof vests and military helmets, as Russian troops have continued to fire on civilian victims and rescuers.
Ukraine Dam Destruction A ‘Diabolical Act’ In Genocidal War, Says Archbishop, Ukrainian Catholics
The destruction of a dam and hydroelectric power plant in a Russian-occupied area of Ukraine marks a “dastardly and diabolical act” that “defies imagination,” Archbishop Borys Gudziak, metropolitan of Ukrainian Catholics in the U.S., told OSV News.