Pope Francis Asks World Christians To Set Aside A Day Of Prayer For Peace In Ukraine
Following days of rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine, Pope Francis called on Christians around the world to fast and pray for peace in Eastern Europe this coming Ash Wednesday.
Before ending his general audience on Wednesday at the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, the pontiff said believers should fight “the diabolical senselessness of violence” that has engulfed the Russian-Ukraine border.
“I invite everyone to make March 2, Ash Wednesday, a day of fasting for peace,” he added during a message that was also broadcast on the Holy See’s YouTube channel. “I encourage believers in a special way to devote themselves intensely to prayer and fasting on that day. May the Queen of Peace protect the world from the folly of war.”
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Russian forces launched a series of attacks on Thursday, hitting several major Ukrainian cities with missiles and long-range artillery.
Ash Wednesday is the start of Lent, a 40-day period marked by fasting and prayer in preparation for Easter. As Roman Catholics prepare for this six-week period, Pope Francis added that he has “great pain in my heart over the worsening situation in Ukraine.”
In the hours following the pope’s plea, Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a televised address, said the Kremlin had been preparing a military operation in eastern Ukraine. He said Russia doesn’t plan a full-scale attack of Ukraine and that the operation was aimed at aiding Russian-backed rebels in the region.
Ukraine pushed back with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy adding, “If we come under attack, if we face an attempt to take away our country, our freedom, our lives and lives of our children, we will defend ourselves.”
Pope Francis’ appeal was in response to what he called “alarming” developments in the region over the past week.
“Once again, the peace of all is threatened by partisan interests,” the pope said. “I would like to appeal to those with political responsibilities to do a serious examination of conscience before God, who is the God of peace and not of war, who is the father of all and not only of some, who wants us to be brothers and sisters and not enemies.”
Cardinals and bishops welcomed the pope’s comments.
In a statement on the eve of the Russian invasion, Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, who heads of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, said Putin’s recognition of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions has caused “irreparable damage” to international relations.
“I call upon all people of good will to not ignore the suffering of the Ukrainian people brought on by Russian military aggression,” he said on Tuesday. “We are a people who love peace. And precisely for that reason we are ready to defend it and fight for it.”
The move comes after Putin recognized the independence of two regions bordering Russia and vowed that he would, if necessary, use military force. Russia invaded part of eastern Ukraine and annexed Crimea in 2014, a conflict that has claimed more than 14,000 lives. On Feb. 21, Putin said Ukraine had no historical claim to separate statehood.
Russia has long had an issue with Ukraine joining NATO or the European Union. Ukraine became a separate country in 1991 following the collapse of the Soviet Union, but Ukraine was briefly an independent nation before the Bolsheviks took control of the Russian empire.
Vladimir Lenin, the former leader of the Soviet Union, recognized the cultural and linguistic differences of states and envisioned a kind of federalism that allowed Ukraine to act as independent but within the former USSR. Upon Lenin’s death, Joseph Stalin pushed for Russification of all the Soviet republics, in part by eliminating Ukrainian cultural institutions and leaders.
Ukraine also has cultural and religious ties with Russia that go back centuries. Russians see Christendom’s entry into the Slavic world at Kiev as the origin of their homeland and the Russian Orthodox Church. Putin has often cited this history to support his claim for Ukraine as an area within greater Russia instead of an independent republic.
As for Russia’s latest salvo in this ongoing fight, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that the separatists’ request for Russian assistance was a pretense for war.
“We’ll continue to call out what we see as false-flag operations or efforts to spread misinformation about what the actual status is on the ground,” she said.
Clemente Lisi is a senior editor and regular contributor to Religion Unplugged. He is the former deputy head of news at the New York Daily News and teaches journalism at The King’s College in New York City. Follow him on Twitter @ClementeLisi.