PEACE FOR LENT

 

Noting that “every past occupation of Ukraine has resulted in various degrees of repression of the Catholic Church” there, the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a message of solidarity with Ukraine.

 

“As we begin the holy Season of Lent, a time of prayer, penance, and charity, we join our Holy Father, Pope Francis, in his solidarity with the ‘martyred people of Ukraine,’“ said Archbishop Timothy Broglio. “We pray and hope that the United States, in concert with the wider international community, works with perseverance for a just peace and an end to aggression.”

Citing a 2024 statement by Pope Francis, Archbishop Broglio said that “courageous negotiations require ‘boldness’ to ‘open the door’ for dialogue.”

 Without criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin or Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky by name, Archbishop Broglio took issue with the persecution ofthe Cathoic Church in Russian-occupied territories, as well as the Ukrainian government’s suppression of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate):

 As Catholics, we are acutely aware that every past occupation of Ukraine has resulted in various degrees of repression of the Catholic Church in the country; we must not tolerate the forcing of our brothers and sisters underground again. I echo Pope Francis’ plea for respecting the religious freedom of all Ukrainians, ‘Please, let no Christian church be abolished directly or indirectly. Churches are not to be touched!’

Recalling that the annual Ash Wednesday collection benefits the Church in formerly Communist nations, including Ukraine, Archbishop Broglio invited “America’s Catholics, in union with all men and women of good will, to pray for the peace of Ukraine, and to contribute generously to assisting that suffering and courageous nation.”

A statement issued on March 4 by the Presidency of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union stresses that Ukraine’s struggle for peace “will also be decisive for the fate of Europe and the world.”

The message reaffirms the European Union Bishops’ continued support of Ukraine and its people, “who have been suffering from Russia’s unjustifiable full-scale invasion for more than three years.”

As Christians prepare for Lent to begin on March 5, the bishops entrust Ukraine and Europe to Jesus through the intercession of Mary, the Queen of Peace.

Art:   Stop War Everywhere: Berlin-based Colombian street artist Arte Vilu works on a mural featuring a Ukrainian woman in traditional dress in Berlin, Germany, Feb. 28, 2022. | Hannibal Hanschke / AP