On Monday, November 6, Pope Francis baptized Zakhariy, a 3-month-old Ukrainian baby, in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta at the Vatican.
As reported by Vatican News, the child lives with his parents and nine siblings in Kamianets-Podilskyi, in western Ukraine, a region barely affected by the war that broke out in February 2022 following Russia’s invasion.
For this family, part of the Neocatechumenal Way, this Baptism is a “gift” amidst the hardships of war. They state that they endure “everything thanks to God, because God always takes care of our family.” “There is war in the country, and it is very difficult. Everyone prays for this war to end soon, for all prisoners to return home, and for there to be no more killings,” said 35-year-old mother Vita.
The mother of the child baptized by Pope Francis also stated: “I could never have even dreamed that we could be with the Holy Father and that he could baptize our son. But God is making such a wonderful story with us, one that we still don’t fully understand.”
Also present at the Baptism was Mons. Dubrawski, Bishop of Kamianets-Podilskyi of the Latins. At the General Audience on Wednesday, November 8, Pope Francis asked the faithful not to forget the “martyred Ukrainian people” suffering the consequences of a war in which many innocents have lost their lives.
