Just before Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York left St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church in lower Manhattan on Feb. 27, he put his arm around Bishop Paul Chomnycky of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Stamford, and said, “you let me know how we can help.”
As tanks rolled across the Ukraine border and Russian missiles bombarded major cities, the Catholic faithful in parishes across the Diocese of Brooklyn held prayerful Masses for the Ukrainian people this past weekend to offer hope and support for the war-ravaged European nation.
The Vatican is ready to facilitate negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, said Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state.
Pope Francis said his heart was “broken” by the war in Ukraine, and he pleaded again, “Silence the weapons!”
On Wednesday, Archbishop Borys Gudziak spent time in Lisieux, France, at the grave of St. Thérése, praying for Ukraine and for Russian President Vladamir Putin’s conversion, so that Russia and the rest of the world could be free of his tyranny.
As Russia continued its assault on Ukraine and Russian troops pressed toward the capital, Kyiv, Pope Francis left the Vatican Feb. 25 to pay a visit to the Russian ambassador to the Holy See.
Ambassadors to the Holy See, priests, religious and laity packed Rome’s Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere to overflowing Feb. 24, pleading to God for peace in Ukraine.
Students at a Catholic school in southern Maryland are writing letters to their counterparts in Ukraine to offer their prayers and support.
Various Catholic agencies are collecting donations to aid with the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, as people flee to escape Russian bombing and shelling. Here are some places to donate. This list is not exhaustive.
