The “grave conflict” was the focus of Francis’ speech to Ukraine’s bishops. Three separate copies were handed out to the prelates who are in Rome for their ad limina apostolorum visit. The Pope said he finds it painful that “misunderstandings and injuries” exist among Christians.
In this morning’s meeting with Ukrainian bishops who are in Rome for their visit ad limina apostolorum, Pope Francis appealed “to all the interested parties” involved in the “grave conflict” that is raging in Ukraine to “apply the agreements reached by mutual accord” and “to be respectful to the principle of international legality”. He invited them to listen to the people and their “search for possible peace”. Francis criticised the formation in Ukraine “of a small group of people that are enormously enriched at the expense of the great majority of citizens.” He added: “It is painful for me personally to hear that there are misunderstandings and injuries” between Christian Churches.
“You find yourselves, as a country, in a situation of grave conflict, which has been going on for several months and continues to claim numerous innocent victims and to cause great suffering to the entire population,” Francis wrote in his prepared remarks. “In this period, as I have assured you personally and conveyed by Cardinal envoys, I am very close to you with my prayers for the dead and for all those struck by violence, with the prayer to the Lord that He might speedily grant peace, and with the appeal to all the interested parties that they might apply the agreements reached by mutual accord and might be respectful toward the principle of international legality; in particular, that the recently signed truce might be observed and all the other commitments, which are the conditions for avoiding a resumption of hostilities.” Underlining that there are “socio-cultural realities” which, unlike strictly political questions, require “your direct and positive contribution”, the Pope invited Ukraine’s bishops to “listen attentively to the voices that come from the territories where the people entrusted to your pastoral care live. Listening to your people, you will be attentive to the values that characterize it: encounter, collaboration, the ability to resolve controversies. In a few words: the search for possible peace.” “The Holy See is at your side, even in international forums, to ensure that your rights, your concerns, and the just evangelical values that animate you are understood. It is seeking, too, how to meet the pastoral necessities of those ecclesiastical structures that have found themselves facing new juridical questions.”
In his speech the Pope invited bishops to “have respectful and fruitful relations with the public Authorities”. He also criticised the Ukrainian establishment, highlighting “the consequences of that misguided sense of economic liberty that has allowed the formation of a small group of people that are enormously enriched at the expense of the great majority of citizens.” “The presence of such a phenomenon has, unfortunately, contaminated in various ways even the public institutions.” Consequently, “the more you are free ministers of the Church of Christ, so much more, even in your poverty, will you make yourselves defenders of the family, of the poor, of the unemployed, of the weak, of the sick, of the elderly pensioners, of invalids, of displaced persons.”
In terms of “the relations between you brothers in the episcopate”, the Pope recognised that there are “complex historical events that weigh on mutual relations, as well as some aspects of a personal nature.” The Pope received bishops of the Greek Catholic Church, the bishop of Mukachevo representing the Byzantine rite and bishops of the Ukrainian Bishops’ Conference, in separate audiences in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace. “The fact that both episcopates are Catholic and are Ukrainian is indisputable, even in the diversity of rites and traditions,” the Pope said. “It is painful for me personally to hear that there are misunderstandings and injuries. There is need of a doctor — and this is Jesus Christ, whom you both serve with generosity and with your whole hearts. You are a single body and, as was said to you in the past by Saint John Paul II, and by Benedict XVI, I in my turn urge you to find among yourselves a manner of welcoming one another and of sustaining one another generously in your apostolic labours.” He gave them “three original signed copies of his speech because Ukraine has three ecclesiastical jurisdictions,” the Vatican newsroom informed. Concluding, the Pope said he was certain that bishops’ decisions “in accord with the Successor of Peter, will be adequate to meet the expectations of your People.” Indeed there are three Catholic Churches: the Greek Catholic Church led by His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the Latin one headed by Archbishop Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki (Wojtyla’s former secretary) and the smaller Ruthenian Church (the Eparch of Mukachevo is Milan Sasik). The Orthodox Church is split into three branches: The Orthodox Church linked to the Patriarchate of Moscow, led by Metropolitan Onufryi, and the non-canonical autocephalus Patriarchate of Kiev (the Metropolitan, Filaret Denysenko, is a former metropolitan of the Russian Church who was later excommunicated). Then there is a schismatic group that was formed in the 1920s.
At the end of the General Audience held on 4 February, the Pope appealed for the “horrible fratricidal violence” in Ukraine, to cease as soon as possible. “Dear brothers and sisters,” he added off the cuff, “when I hear the words victory or defeat I feel a great sorrow and great sadness. They are not the right words, the only right word is peace. This is the only right word. This is a war between Christians: you all have the same baptism and are fighting with other Christians. Think of this scandal!” His words were applauded by the Orthodox Patriarch of Moscow and All Russias, Kiril but left Ukrainian Catholics puzzled. “Calling the conflict in Ukraine "fratricide" the Pope wants to balance somehow the situation, while there are ample evidences of Russian aggression, the Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU) wrote. In recent days, RISU invited its readers to “join the fundraising campaign for the soldiers in the ATO (“anti-terrorist operation”, the official Ukrainian name given to the war in Donbass) zone and those stationed on the "border" of Crimea. On 10 February, Vatican spokesman, Fr. Federico Lombardi, clarified that in his appeals for peace in Ukraine, Pope Francis “has always wished to address all the interested parties” and “trusting in the sincere efforts of each one to implement agreements reached by common consent and invoking the principle of international law, to which the Holy See has referred several times since the beginning of the crisis.” Fr. Lombardi announced that “the Holy Father joyfully awaits the 'Ad limina' visit of the Ukrainian Episcopate, scheduled for the days 16-21 February. This will constitute a further occasion to meet those brother Bishops, to be directly informed on the situation of that dear country, to console the Church and those who suffer and to evaluate together paths for reconciliation and peace.” The Apostolic Nuncio to Kiev, Mgr. Tohmas Gullickson, told Vatican Insider that “the annexation of the Crimea was a clear violation of international law”. In July, Italian Jesuit periodical Civiltà Cattolica published a long analysis written by the Jesuit Pierre de Charentenay, which said that the Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko “will have to find a stable political settlement for his country: this could be an original form of federalism”.
During the visit ad limina, His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Archbishop Major of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church presided over the divine liturgy for peace in Ukraine, together with four metropolitans and other eparchial and auxiliary bishops. The celebration was held yesterday afternoon in the papal Basilica of St. Mary Major. Concelebrants included priests in charge of Italy’s many Ukrainian communities, along with Mgr. Giancarlo Perego who is in charge of the Italian Episcopal Conference’s migrants office and Pierpaolo Felicolo who is in charge of the diocese of Rome’s corresponding office. The Vicar General was represented by Mgr. Matteo Zuppi. Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches gave a speech. His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk will hold a press conference at the Vatican Radio offices on Monday.
