Numerous testimonies collected after yesterday morning’s Mass at the Berdychiv shrine confirm the unanimous appreciation for Pope Francis’ decision to send Cardinal Pietro Parolin to the country martyred by two and a half years of war: we are not forgotten, prayer has gained confidence and strength.
A big “thank you.” It is like a wind that reaches Rome, to the Pope, from a centuries-old place, which in the last few hours, in particular, has become a symbol of Ukrainians who trust in God to resist and believe, beyond blood and missiles, in a peaceful future for their land. A choir that came to life immediately after the Mass that Cardinal Pietro Parolin presided over yesterday on behalf of Francis at the Marian shrine of Berdychiv.
“The Pope prays for us”
First, I thank God for the many signs through which God shows us his presence. “This also encourages us not to lose faith, not to succumb to sad news and events,” said the Bishop of Kharkiv-Zaporizhzhia of the Latins, Pavlo Honcharuk, to Father Mariusz Krawiec. One of the main signs is the presence of His Holiness’s Secretary of State in the country since last Friday.
For everyone, and the bishops and faithful repeat it until the end, it is a blessing. “It is a sign that we are not forgotten, that the Pope thinks of us, the Pope prays for us,” echoed Monsignor Oleksandr Yazlovetskiy, auxiliary of the Latins of the Kyiv-Zhytomyr diocese.
Message of gratitude
The Ukrainian ambassador to the Holy See, Andriy Yurash, expressed the same sentiment: “We want to make Cardinal Parolin feel how grateful Ukraine is for what he does personally, for what the Holy See does, including through the mission of Cardinal Zuppi, through humanitarian aid, through prayer, through communication with other States, through influence on the clergy of other States through bishops and communities.”
For the Ukrainian diplomat, this is “a very important moment for both parties,” in which Cardinal Pietro Parolin “brings his good news” and Ukraine “responds with a message of gratitude, love and a hug” for him “and, through him, for His Holiness.”
Praying tirelessly
Father Luca Bovio, Consolata missionary and national secretary of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Poland, spoke of the solidarity that has been washing over the Eastern European nation for two and a half years like waves of an endless sea. Father Luca has brought humanitarian aid to various parts of Ukraine on numerous occasions. Aid, he said, is still needed and is added to the equally pressing need for prayer.
In the presence of Cardinal Parolin, the cleric said, “I believe has precisely this meaning: the first aid is to pray tirelessly, to pray for the gift of peace, but also to pray for the many people affected by the war, for the dead, the wounded, the families who have had to flee.” All these intentions, he concluded, “are here, at the feet of the Mother of God, venerated in Berdychiv in this beautiful sanctuary.”
Mary, one of the many people who packed the sanctuary yesterday, echoed him with simplicity: “We thank God for Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who was not afraid to come to Ukraine to pray and concelebrate with the bishops of our Church, with priests and ordinary people.” We ask Mary, Queen of Peace, “to take care of us, of our people, of our defenders and of all our families.”
