Nine months after Russia invaded Ukraine, Pope Francis wrote to the “noble and mortal” Ukrainian people, promising his cure and expressing his sorrow for all the children killed: “In each of them there was a expression The defeat of all mankind”.
(Vatican News Network)With a paternal heart, Pope Francis weeps with his children; with the emotion of a shepherd, he expresses his concern for a people suffering “destruction, pain, hunger, thirst and cold”. Nine months after the “irrational madness of war”, Pope Francis writes to the Ukrainian people, directly expressing his concern for every Ukrainian: everyone, meaning women, victims of violence, victims of war and widows, young people who are gone to the front lines, elderly people alone, refugees, displaced persons, volunteers, priests and government officials.
In this time of “hard tribulation”, the Bishop of Rome exhorts the Ukrainian people not to be discouraged, but also to express “appreciation” to them, because, as Ukrainians have shown in history, they are strong, suffer and pray, weep and fight , resist and hope. The Ukrainian people are “noble and mortal”.
The pope’s letter outlines the tragic situation. He cut to the chase, exposing the horrors the Eastern European country has endured since the first day of its invasion on February 24, 2022. “The menacing thunder of bombings, the ominous sound of sirens, rumble in your skies. Bombs strike your cities, missiles rain down death, destruction, pain, hunger, thirst and cold.Your streets are filled with people forced to flee their homes and loved ones, beside your great rivers are rivers of blood and tears that flow every day”.
The Pope’s tears flowed with theirs: “Not a single day goes by without me being with you, thinking of you in my heart and in prayer. Your pain is mine.” they suffered from the terror caused by this invasion. Yes, the Crucifixion that once afflicted the Lord is reproduced today in the torture of human remains in mass graves found in many cities, in those and many AND other bloody images. It all goes deep, and it makes people scream: why? Why do other people do this to these people?
Today’s tragedies have reminded the pope of many tragedies in the world in recent years. The pope mentioned children first, speaking of a newborn and a four-year-old boy who lost their lives in the rocket attack. “In each of them – wrote the pope – the defeat of all humanity is manifested. Today they, in the arms of God, look at your worries and pray that they will end”.
“For them, for all the children and adults who have been deported, how can we not feel sad? The pain of Ukrainian mothers cannot be calculated”. The Pope then thought of the young people who, “to courageously defend their homeland”, must abandon their dreams and take up arms. The wives of the fallen soldiers grit their teeth and “sacrificed themselves silently for their children with dignity and determination.” Adults “find a way to protect those they love”, the elderly cannot enjoy old age and are caught up in the “dark nights of war”, and women “are subjected to violence and carry a heavy burden on their hearts”.
“I am thinking of you and I am with you with love and gratitude”, wrote the Pope. In his letter, the Pope did not forget those volunteers who give their hearts and souls to people every day, like all pastors. Bishops, priests, religious “stay close to the people most at risk, using their creativity to transform community places and houses into lodgings, to host the needy, to provide them with aid and food”.
The pope also thought of refugees and internally displaced persons, many of whom saw their homes destroyed and uprooted from their homes. Furthermore, the Pope has launched an appeal to the authorities, praying for them. “In times of tragedy, they are tasked with governing and have an obligation to make forward-thinking decisions to promote peace and grow the economy in the face of the destruction of many vital infrastructures.”
At the end of the letter, the Pope looked to the months to come, because the severe cold must further worsen the situation of the Ukrainian people. “I hope that the love of the Church, the strength of prayer and the love of so many brothers and sisters in every corner of the world will caress your faces”, said the Pope. “Christmas is only a few weeks away” and the pangs of suffering will be felt more clearly. “But I would like to go back with you to Bethlehem, to the trials you had to face that night in the Holy Family. It was a night that seemed to have nothing but cold and dark. it emanates from man, but from God; it does not come from the world, but emanates from above”.
The Pope concluded by imploring the protection of the Virgin Mary for the Ukrainian people. “I offer your sufferings and your tears to her motherly heart.”
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