Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki Urges Aid for Ukraine. In his message for Lent, the Polish Episcopate’s President says, “Our Ukrainian Sisters and Brothers need further gestures of human solidarity and kindness.
“Dear sisters and brothers of Ukraine, for your love of God and heroic love for your homeland, you all deserve respect and recognition. On behalf of the pastors and faithful of the Catholic Church in Poland, I once again assure you of our goodwill, friendship, spiritual and material support” said the President of the Polish Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki, in his message for Ash Wednesday 2022 during the war in Ukraine, transmitted on TVP1 on March 1st.
In his message, the Episcopate’s President observed that Lent will once again be very difficult. After facing a pandemic that, in recent years, has brought death to several million people around the world, “for the past week, we have been witnessing to another drama—the massive Russian military aggression against a sovereign country—Ukraine,” he said.
Archbishop Gądecki stressed that every nation has the moral right to defend itself effectively. “Dear sisters and brothers of Ukraine, for your love of God and heroic love for your homeland, you all deserve respect and recognition. On behalf of the pastors and faithful of the Catholic Church in Poland, I once again assure you of our goodwill, friendship, spiritual and material support,” he said.
The president of the episcopate pointed out that the suffering of the Ukrainians has released immense goodness in Poles. “We are witnesses of the endearing hospitality of our compatriots moved by the misfortune of their neighbors,” he stressed. He thanked all those who joined in giving concrete assistance to refugees. “Thank you for every good word and smallest gesture of kindness addressed to our suffering brothers and sisters. Let us surround them with prayers, show cordiality, help them find jobs,” he appealed.
He recalled that on Ash Wednesday, there will be another collection of offerings will continue; the collected funds will be allocated through Caritas Poland for immediate and long-term assistance to war refugees. “Moreover, in this extremely difficult situation, let us welcome refugees in our homes, parishes, and religious communities. Our Ukrainian sisters and brothers need further gestures of human solidarity and kindness,” Archbishop Gądecki urged.
He concluded by calling on the faithful to pray for Russia. “There will be no peace in our part of the world until Russia returns to Christ. We dream that one day there will be forgiveness and reconciliation among all the peoples of Central and Eastern Europe so that we can live not only in peace but also in friendship,” said the president of the Polish Bishops’ Conference.
— Press Office of the Polish Bishops’ Conference
