VATICAN (SE): “Rivers of blood and tears are flowing in Ukraine,” Pope Francis lamented during his Angelus on March 6.
“I make a heartfelt appeal for humanitarian corridors to be genuinely secured and for aid access to the besieged areas to be guaranteed and facilitated in order to provide vital relief to our brothers and sisters oppressed by bombs and fear,” the pope said as he called for an end to hostilities and and for all people to come to the assistance of the war victims, especially the mothers and children fleeing, Vatican News reported.
The pope said that the Vatican “is ready to do everything to put itself at the service of peace” in Ukraine.
He said the tragedy was not some “military operation,” but a “war, which sows death, destruction and misery.”
“I thank all those who are taking in refugees. Above all, I implore that the armed attacks cease and that negotiation—and common sense—prevail. And that international law be respected once again!” Vatican News reported
Pope Francis said that the Holy See is ready to do everything to put itself in the service of this peace noting that Konrad Cardinal Krajewski, the Almoner, and Michael Cardinal Czerny, interim Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, were going to Ukraine to bring aid to the needy.
I make a heartfelt appeal for humanitarian corridors to be genuinely secured and for aid access to the besieged areas to be guaranteed and facilitated in order to provide vital relief to our brothers and sisters oppressed by bombs and fear
Pope Francis
The pope said that their presence is not only the presence of the pope, but of all the Christian people who want to get closer and say: “War is madness! Stop, please! Look at this cruelty!” “
CNS reported that moments after the pope spoke, Cardinal Krajewski said that he was about to leave Rome for Poland “because from Poland I am sure I will be able to enter Ukraine. Then we’ll see how far I can get to reach the people and show them the closeness of the pope, tell them he loves them, prays for them and wants to encourage them.”
The cardinal also will bring rosaries from Pope Francis “because with prayer we can move mountains and even stop the war,” he said.
Cardinal Czerny said that he would be heading to Hungary’s border with Ukraine and would see what could be done from there, CNS reported.
Even if the cardinals cannot get into Ukraine, the Polish and Hungarian borders are the top two destinations of Ukrainians—mainly the elderly, women and children— fleeing the war.
The Vatican said on March 7 that “Cardinal Krajewski is on his way now, March 7, toward the Polish-Ukraine border where he will visit refugees and volunteers in shelters and homes” and that Cardinal Czerny was to arrive in Hungary on March 8 “to visit some reception centers for the migrants coming from Ukraine.”
We are all children of one Father and brotherhood knows no borders: this is the meaning of the embrace of the Pope and of the Church that I bring to all those I will meet
Cardinal Czerny
According to the Vatican, Cardinal Czerny also intends to raise concerns regarding the treatment of African and Asian residents in Ukraine. Many have reported acts of discrimination against them as they attempt to flee the country.
Writing for Vatican News, Cardinal Czerny said, “Mine is a journey of prayer, prophecy and denunciation.”
He wrote, “We are all children of one Father and brotherhood knows no borders: this is the meaning of the embrace of the Pope and of the Church that I bring to all those I will meet.”
The UN Refugee Agency said that, as of March 5, more than 1.3 million Ukrainians had fled the country since the Russian invasion began on February 24; more than 750,000 of them had crossed into Poland and almost 170,000 had crossed into Hungary.
Pope Francis said that the need for humanitarian assistance in Ukraine, “that tormented country, is growing dramatically by the hour.”
Russia and Ukraine had negotiated a partial ceasefire for March 5 to allow civilians to flee several cities encircled by Russian troops and to allow the delivery of aid to people who are without food, water and medicine.
Both sides accused the other of violating the cease-fire and only several hundred of the hundreds of thousands of people were able to leave, CNS reported.
Pope Francis also thanked the journalists “who put their lives at risk to provide information. Thank you, brothers and sisters, for this service, a service that allows us to be close to the tragedy of that population and helps us assess the cruelty of a war.”
