Pope hears bishops’ reports, urges prayers for Ukrainian people
September 06, 2023
» Continue to this story on Vatican News
CWN Editor's Note: Pope Francis met on September 6 with the bishops of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, and “expressed desire that during the month of October, especially in shrines, the Rosary be dedicated to peace and reconciliation in Ukraine.”
In a two-hour meeting with prelates from the Byzantine-rite Church—who have gathered in Rome for a meeting of their Synod—the Pope heard a number of Ukrainian prelates speak about “the suffering that the Ukrainian people are experiencing,” the Vatican News service reported.
Major Archbishop Svlatoslav Shevchuk spoke about “painful situation in which his country finds itself, with an increasing number of dead, wounded and tortured people.” He thanked the Pope for his repeated expressions of concern about the suffering of the Urkainian people.
The Pope’s meeting with the Ukrainian bishops came at a time when tensions had arisen because of the Pope’s recent remarks extolling the history of the Russian empire: remarks that shocked some Ukrainian leaders, who saw them as lending support to Russian imperial claims on their country’s territory.
For all current news, visit our News home page.
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!
