This was one of the Pope's first gestures for peace in Ukraine. It happened in February of 2014. The Pope prayed for the 17 people killed at a pro-European Union demonstration, which was violently repressed by Yanukovych's pro-Russia government.
POPE FRANCIS
January 26, 2014
'I am close in prayer to Ukraine, in particular to those who have lost their life in these days, and to their families.'
Russia managed to annex the Crimean peninsula, but that didn't put an end to the conflict. A year later, Pope Francis addressed these words to pilgrims visiting St. Peter's Basilica.
POPE FRANCIS
February 18, 2015
'Brothers and sisters, I know that among the many other intentions you bring to the tombs of the apostles, there is the request for peace in Ukraine. I carry in my heart the same desire, and I join your prayer that a lasting peace may come to your homeland as soon as possible.'
In 2015, Pope Francis met with Vladimir Putin and asked him to respect the peace agreements signed in Minsk, and to allow humanitarian workers access to Crimea.
That same year, he also met with the then President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, and assured him that he never forgets to pray for Ukraine.
Pope Francis wanted to travel to Ukraine, but because the situation was too complicated, he instead visited the Ukrainian Catholic community in Rome.
POPE FRANCIS
January 28, 2018
'I am here to tell you that I am close to you, close with my heart, close in prayer, close when I celebrate the Eucharist. There I ask the Prince of Peace for the sound of weapons to cease.'
Seven years later, the conflict has escalated once more. Pope Francis began sounding the alarm months before all-out war broke out.
POPE FRANCIS
December 12, 2021
'I want to assure you of my prayers for dear Ukraine, for all its Churches and religious communities, and for all its people, so that the tensions it is experiencing may be resolved through serious international dialogue and not with weapons.'
At various General Audiences and Angelus gatherings in 2022, the Pope prayed for Ukraine. In February, he expressed his deep pain and concern over the worsening situation and the development of increasingly alarming events.
POPE FRANCIS
February 23, 2022
'I would like to appeal to those with political responsibility to examine their consciences seriously before God, who is the God of peace and not of war.'
The Pope also called for a day of fasting and prayer for the country. Card. Pietro Parolin launched a message expressing the Vatican's willingness to be a mediator in the conflict. Pope Francis visited the Russian embassy to the Holy See, a strong diplomatic gesture that completely broke with protocol.
At an Angelus in late February, the Pope greeted Ukrainians in St. Peter's Square in their language, and he asked that refugees be welcomed and that humanitarian corridors be established.
POPE FRANCIS
February 27, 2022
'I think of the elderly, of those who are seeking refuge in these hours, of mothers fleeing with their children. They are brothers and sisters for whom it is urgent to open humanitarian corridors, and who should be welcomed.'
Pope Francis' most recent gesture was to send two cardinals to Ukraine. They are Card. Konrad Krajewski, from Poland, and Card. Michael Czerny, who was born in the former Czechoslovakia. Their mission is to communicate the Pope's nearness to victims of war.
RM
TR: CT
