Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Kiev (Agenzia Fides) - "The country is devastated, millions of refugees are fleeing the fighting areas as the war draws ever closer to the capital Kiev. The troops of the Russian Federation are advancing slowly but surely and the death toll on both sides is increasing, many are little more than teenagers". This is what a source from the local Church who asked for anonymity for security reasons told Agenzia Fides.
"Many priests in the besieged cities, despite the difficulty, have stayed such as church chaplains, Greek Orthodox Catholics (but also Jews and Muslims along with the leaders of other religious communities) - explains the source -. The whole Church is on the side of the suffering people. The shepherds are with the sheep and they know the pain, they know the smell of the sheep, they are the bishops of the field. The Pope during the Angelus last Sunday, March 13, made his voice heard even stronger with a heartfelt message of peace" (see Fides, 14/3/2022). "This is not a war of television or newspapers, it is not a story of the Second World War, but a war that is unfolding before our eyes and has not ended for over two weeks. The question is what can we do?". "In my opinion - concludes the source - from a political point of view, the call for the closure of Ukraine's airspace, which is being addressed primarily to the President of the United States on social media, should be extended to common skies, with a common sun, a common moon, common stars. We must not think that only the sky above Ukraine needs protection. All of humanity needs special protection. Because if Ukraine loses, the whole world loses, in war there are no winners, everyone loses". (GF/AP) (Agenzia Fides, 15/3/2022)
