Pope Francis spoke today, February 26, 2022, with Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, to show him his “deepest sorrow” over the war following the invasion of Russia.
“Pope Francis today held a telephone conversation with President Volodymyr Zelenskyi. The Holy Father expressed his deepest sorrow for the tragic events that are taking place in our country,” reads the tweet shared by the Embassy of Ukraine to the Holy See.
The president of Ukraine, for his part, has shared in his Twitter account The following message: “I thanked Pope Francis for praying for peace in Ukraine and the ceasefire. The Ukrainian people feel the spiritual support of His Holiness.”
Yesterday, February 25, 202, the Pope telephoned the Major Archbishop of Kiev-Halyč of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Msgr. Sviatoslav Shevchuk, asking for information on the situation in Kiev and in Ukraine, assuring his readiness to do everything possible.
Francis also asked about the situation of bishops and priests in the territories most affected by the Russian military operation. And he expressed his gratitude to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church for its closeness to the people, its decision to stand by the people and for having made available the basements of the Kiev Cathedral as a refuge. Finally, he guaranteed his prayers and imparted a blessing to the Ukrainian people.
Also yesterday, His Holiness visited the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Holy See, Alexander Avdeev, to express his concern at the war in Ukraine.
The tweet of the account of the Bishop of Rome of this day, he offered an image with the following words of the encyclical Fratelli Tutti: “Every war leaves our world worse than it found it. War is a failure of politics and of humanity, a shameful surrender, a defeat in the face of the forces of evil.”
“Jesus taught us that the diabolical folly of violence is answered with God’s weapons, with prayer and fasting. May the Queen of Peace preserve the world from the madness of war,” the Pontiff said today in the same media, referring to the general audience of February 23.
Following are pictures today from Kiev, where Catholic Church workers are providing aid to displaced Ukrainians. Photos were provided through the Polish Bishops’ Conference.
