In a letter sent to Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, apostolic nuncio to Ukraine, on Nov. 19, Pope Francis expressed his great sorrow for the suffering of the people of Ukraine, who have now endured 1,000 days of war since the outbreak of the violent conflict there in 2022.
The letter was published in Italian by the Vatican newspaper on Nov. 19.
Addressing his representative in “beloved and tormented Ukraine,” the Holy Father said he wished “to embrace all its citizens, wherever they may be,” and acknowledged the extreme hardships the Ukrainian people have suffered under “large-scale military aggression” for the past 1,000 days.
The pope told the nuncio, whom he addressed as “brother,” that his words are meant to express solidarity with the people of Ukraine and to convey “a heartfelt invocation to God,” who he said is “the only source of life, hope, and wisdom, so that he may convert hearts and make them capable of starting paths of dialogue, reconciliation, and harmony.”
Francis quoted Psalm 121: “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth,” recalling how every day at 9 a.m., Ukrainians observe a “minute of national silence” for the victims of the conflict.
“I join them, so that the cry that rises to heaven, from which help comes, may be stronger,” the pope wrote.
He went on to pray that the Lord will “console our hearts and strengthen the hope that, while he collects all the tears shed and will ask for an account of them, he remains beside us even when human efforts seem fruitless and actions not sufficient.”
The pope ended the letter to the archbishop by entrusting the Ukrainian people to God and blessing them, “beginning with the bishops and priests, with whom you, dear brother, have remained alongside the sons and daughters of this nation throughout these 1,000 days of suffering.”
This article was originally published on Catholic News Agency.
Zoe Romanowsky contributed to this article.
