Following last week’s meeting with pilgrims from the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday received in audience the bishops who are members of the Ukrainian church’s synod.

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Noting that the encounter is taking place in the context of the jubilee year, in the July 2 meeting Leo recalled the words of Pope Francis, who said that “hope does not disappoint, because it is founded on the love of God in Christ Jesus, Our Lord.”

In the context of the bloody war in Ukraine, the Holy Father acknowledged that “it is not easy to talk about hope to you.”

“It is not easy to find words of consolation for the families who have lost their loved ones in this senseless war,” he said.

Addressing the Ukrainian bishops, he noted that they are “in contact every day with people wounded in their heart and in their flesh.” Despite these wounds, the pope said he has received “many testimonies of faith and hope on the part of men and women of your people.”

For the pontiff, this is a sign of the power of God, “which manifests itself in the midst of the rubble of destruction.”

“I am aware that you have many needs to meet, in both the ecclesial and humanitarian spheres. You are called to serve Christ in every wounded and distressed person who turns to your communities asking for concrete help,” he noted.

In this context, Pope Leo expressed his closeness to the prelates of the region and to all the faithful of the Church and encouraged them to remain “united in the one faith and the one hope.”

“Our communion is a great mystery: It is also a real communion with all our brothers and sisters whose lives have been taken from this earth but are accepted in God. In him everything lives and finds fullness of meaning,” he emphasized.

Finally, he emphasized that “we are always comforted by the certainty that the holy Mother of God is with us, aids us, and guides us toward her Son, who is our peace.” Before concluding the audience, the pontiff invited those present to sing the Lord’s Prayer in Ukrainian.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.