Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin telephones His Beatitude Sviatoslav Schevchuk, Major Archbishop of Kyiv-Halych, to express the Holy See’s closeness to the Catholic Church in Ukraine and solidarity with the people of the country, “at this difficult time of escalation of the conflict around Ukraine”.
In the telephone call on Monday, Archbishop Schevchuk informed Cardinal Parolin of the work that the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church is doing as the threat of large-scale Russian invasion looms and thanked the Holy See for its constant attention to the situation.
The Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, in particular, expressed gratitude for the new appeal, made on Sunday by Pope Francis during the Angelus, “to pray for peace in Ukraine and to avert the threat of war”. “The Ukrainian people feel the Holy Father’s special solicitude for peace in Ukraine and appreciate the Holy See’s diplomatic efforts to overcome the current international crisis,” he said.
“In this troubled moment, Cardinal Parolin concluded, “I wish to express to you, Your Beatitude, to the Episcopate, to the priests and faithful of the Church you lead and to all the Ukrainian people the support of the Holy See, to manifest its solidarity and to assure prayers for all.”
