Major Archbishop says all Ukrainians should remember the Holodomor genocide
(Charles Collins. Crux)
Speaking at Ukraine’s National Museum of the Holodomor, the head of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk said, “honoring the victims of the genocide is not only a matter for the state, but also for every Ukrainian.”
The President of Ukraine met with the State Secretary of the Holy See
(RISU)
Volodymyr Zelenskyi noted the cardinal’s personal contribution to strengthening cooperation between Ukraine and the Vatican. The President also thanked for the visit, during which the State Secretary visited Ukrainian cities.
Il Segretario di Stato in Ucraina al santuario di Berdychiv
(Silere non possum).
Il 18 maggio Papa Francesco ha nominato il cardinale Pietro Parolin, segretario di Stato, legato pontificio per la celebrazione conclusiva del pellegrinaggio dei cattolici ucraini di rito latino che avrà luogo domenica 21 luglio nel santuario mariano di Berdychiv. Il 13 luglio 2024 il Papa ha indirizzato al porporato una lettera
Top Vatican diplomat makes first visit to Ukraine since war
(Elise Ann Allen. Crux).
On Friday, Vatican Secretary of State Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin began a 6-day visit to Ukraine to close a popular Marian pilgrimage, and to meet with high-level civil and ecclesial authorities amid the Holy See’s continued push for peace.
Tras el ataque al hospital de Kiev, las iglesias de Ucrania piden declarar a Rusia estado terrorista
(P.J.G. Religión en Libertad)
Ucrania es un país con bastante diversidad religiosa: un 75% de los ucranianos declara ser ortodoxos, un 10% son católicos, los musulmanes (sobre todo tártaros) son entre un 1 y 2%, y hay importantes minorías judías y evangélicas.
(Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church).
In the territories temporarily occupied by Russia, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church has been de facto liquidated, there is not a single Greek or Roman Catholic priest there, and the clergy are being repressed.
“Our Church has been liquidated in the occupied territories. Specifically, by so-called state regulations. For example, this happened in the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia region. Institutions of social service of our Church, such as Caritas Ukraine or such a community of Catholic men as the Knights of Columbus, are also prohibited there. In the occupied territories today, there is virtually no Catholic priest—either Greek Catholic or Roman Catholic,” said the Head of the UGCC.
(National Catholic Reporter. David Bonior).
In the architecturally gorgeous city of Lviv in western Ukraine sits Ukrainian Catholic University. After several name and affiliation changes, in 2002 it became the first Catholic university to open on the land of the former Soviet Union. The university is small, but its reputation is large. Visiting in April, I repeatedly heard it called “one of our best universities.” War forces those in power to rethink the future. UCU has adjusted its strategic plan to the reality of the war and the role it is now playing in the war effort and the aftermath as the nation begins to slowly prepare for rebuilding. The university will continue to help veterans and civilians deal with physical trauma and mental health issues, and provide services to the country’s many war veterans. The Ukrainian Catholic University was reconstituted after the fall of communism in Ukraine and Eastern Europe. Bishop Borys Gudziak — American-born, from Syracuse New York — was a leader in establishing UCU, serving as its first rector and now as president. But his long-term plans for the university shifted when Russia invaded Ukraine Feb. 24, 2022, and the entire UCU community quickly became engaged in the war effort.
(SECOLO DI ITALIA. Marta Lima).
Qualcosa si muove, sul fronte orientale. La proposta unilaterale di pace, avanzata dal presidente russo, Vladimir Putin, per una soluzione della crisi in Ucraina è stata al centro del colloquio avvenuto oggi tra Papa Francesco e l’ambasciatore russo presso la Santa Sede, Ivan Soltanovsky. Lo ha reso noto lo stesso rappresentante diplomatico russo, secondo quanto riporta l’agenzia Ria Novosti. Il piano di Putin, ovviamente, non è ricevibili in quei termini, neanche dal Vaticano, ma c’è chi pensa che potrebbe dare una piccola scossa alla paralisi delle trattative, più o meno sottobanco. Papa Bergoglio incontra l’emissario di Putin: cosa si sono detti. “Abbiamo discusso della questione ucraina, comprese le condizioni per una soluzione pacifica” espresse di recente da Putin e “ho espresso gratitudine al pontefice per la sua posizione costantemente equilibrata”, ha fatto sapere l’ambasciatore, riferendosi alla proposta del leader russo che prevede, tra l’altro, il riconoscimento internazionale dei territori ucraini occupati dalla Russia (Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson e Zaporizhzhia) oltre all’abolizione delle sanzioni anti-russe. In parallelo al summit svizzero, definito dai russi come “futile”, durante un evento pubblico il presidente russo Vladimir Putin aveva posto le sue condizioni per un cessate il fuoco, chiedendo la revoca delle sanzioni occidentali imposte alla Russia e la rinuncia dell’adesione alla NATO da parte di Kyiv. Tutte queste richieste sono considerate inaccettabili dall’Ucraina.
(ACN International).
ACN’s accounts for 2023 once again reflect the generosity of the foundation’s benefactors from all over the world, to help suffering Christians and the Church in Need. Ukraine, Syria and Lebanon were the countries that received most aid in 2023, while Africa was the continent which received the most support.
The international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) maintained the level of revenue from previous years, with 143.7 million euro of donations and legacies received during 2023. This value, along with 0.8 million euro of reserves from the previous year, allowed the foundation to fund activities worth 144.5 million euro.
(Crux).
Ukraine’s leading Catholic archbishop says an independent Ukraine is synonymous with religious freedom. The Head of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk was speaking in his address marking the 122th week of the full-scale Russian invasion. In his video message, Shevchuk said the last week was marked by Russia’s “war crimes against the civilian population of Ukraine.” Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014 and launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. There have been increased aerial attacks by both sides in the past few months, and intense fighting continues in the east of the country.
(Vaticans News. Svitlana Dukhovich).
Kharkiv vive una situazione drammatica. Le notizie degli attacchi russi sono di ogni giorno e droni, razzi, bombe, distruggono la città, causando morti e feriti tra i civili. Nell’attacco al supermercato “Epitsentr”, alle 16.00 di sabato scorso, 25 maggio, in un’ora e in un giorno che di solito vede il negozio maggiormente frequentato, sono state uccise 19 persone e 54 sono rimaste ferite. Nella notte del 31 maggio un razzo russo ha colpito un condominio di cinque piani uccidendo tre persone e ferendone 23, tra loro un paramedico, perché i russi hanno nuovamente usato una “tattica a doppio colpo”: hanno attaccato per la seconda volta, mentre medici, soccorritori e forze dell’ordine erano già al lavoro sulla scena dell’aggressione.
(RISU)
Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See, as Papal Legate for the final Divine Service of the national pilgrimage of Ukrainian Roman Catholics to the All-Ukrainian Sanctuary of the Most Holy Virgin Mary in Berdychiv.
(José Manuel Vidal. RD).
“Has arriesgado la vida para ayudar y sostener a tanta gente”. Esto le dice el Papa Francisco a Sor Lucía Caram, la monja argentino-española comprometida con la ayuda a las víctimas de la guerra de Ucrania. Desde el principio del drama hasta ahora. Porque ahí sigue, con sus corredores humanitarios y, al mismo tiempo, gritando al mundo que la guerra duele con un libro ‘Invitados a reconstruir. Ucrania, la guerra y la compasión’(Plataforma Testimonio).
(RISU).
In Krasnohorsk, Moscow Oblast, the Russian Orthodox Church launched survival courses at the Elizabethan Church in Opalis. Classes on initial military training are conducted by participants of the so-called “SVO”.
This is stated on the website of the city administration, Glavkom informs.
Schoolchildren from the age of 12 can enroll in the courses. All willing occupiers are taught free of charge “practical skills in handling small arms”, as well as modern methods of providing medical aid and the basics of topography.
In particular, Russian clergy also take part in the “educational process”. They read propagandistic lectures to children “about the history of their native land and about patriotism.” The training takes place “with the blessing of the Archbishop of Odintsovo and Krasnogorsk, the head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Moscow Patriarchate, Thomas”.
(La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana. Ricardo Cascioli).
Alcuni lettori hanno reagito criticamente alla diretta di venerdì scorso dedicata al conflitto Russia-Ucraina, perché non avremmo indicato gli USA come veri responsabili di questa guerra. È allora bene ribadire alcuni criteri di fondo per un giudizio serio sulla questione. Eccoli….
(PETER DALY. National Catholic Reporter).
Our little delegation has returned from Ukraine.
Four of us went to that war-torn country, at our own expense, to bear witness to the suffering of the Ukrainian people and to listen to their voices regarding the war. Our focus was on the trauma of war and the mental health of the people, two years after the full-scale invasion by Russia. We also wanted to meet people working with the Ukrainian military, to see how they are holding up and what they need.
We don’t know German neither, but we hit the button for automatic translation into our language because the article is interesting 😊
(Kath).
“Wenn ein Haus brennt, muss der Nachbar Wasser zum Löschen geben. Verteidigungswaffen sind unser Löschwasser.”
(Tiscali. Ansa).
Dopo l’appello di mons. Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Capo della Chiesa greco-cattolica ucraina, a tradurre in “azioni” l’invito del Papa a liberare i prigionieri, “tutti per tutti”, c’è stato un colloquio telefonico tra il Capo dell’Ufficio del Presidente ucraino, Andriy Yermak, e il cardinale Matteo Zuppi, inviato speciale del Papa per la pace in Ucraina. “Il tema del colloquio è stato la liberazione dalle prigioni russe dei nostri medici militari”, riferisce l’ambasciata ucraina presso la Santa Sede. Il colloquio si è tenuto ieri sera.
(Reuters).
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s chief of staff thanked a Vatican envoy on Tuesday for his efforts in trying to bring home thousands of children forcibly taken to Russia and asked him for help in returning prisoners of war.
Cardinal Matteo Zuppi has visited both Russia and Ukraine on a mission mandated by Pope Francis to try to help end the war in Ukraine, now more than two years old.
He said after the visits that his talks focused mainly on humanitarian issues rather than a specific peace plan. He also visited China to facilitate prospects for peace.
(Silere non possum).
Il 3 aprile 2024 si è svolto un incontro fra il presidente ucraino e una delegazione di vescovi della Chiesa cattolica latina e delle Chiese protestanti dell’Ucraina. Erano presenti: il vescovo di Kharkiv-Zaporizhsky Pavlo Honcharuk, il vescovo di Odessa-Simferopol Stanislav Shirokoradiuk, il vescovo di Kamianets-Podilskyi Leon Dubravskyi, il vescovo di Mukachevo Mykola Luchok, il vescovo di Kyiv-Zhytomyr Vitaly Kryvytskyi, e il presidente della Conferenza episcopale ucraina mons. Vitaly Skomarovskyi.