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In a video conference with 250 young Ukrainians from Kyiv and around the world, Pope Francis listened to their testimonies, and urged them to embrace patriotism, dialogue, and forgiveness.
Pope Francis appealed to young Ukrainians around the world, urging them towards forgiveness, despite the ongoing war, in a video conference he hosted on Saturday. The gathering, described by Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk as “the first meeting in history between the Pope of Rome and young Ukrainians,” took place in the Cathedral of the Resurrection in Kyiv. Some participants, based in other European cities or in North America, joined in via video call. In his address to the war-ravaged nation, the Pope urged Ukrainians to remain patriotic and love their country, but also to embrace forgiveness rather than revenge. “Remember the heroes who have given their lives for your country,” he said, “Your homeland is wounded by war, but love it.” He also encouraged Ukrainians to turn towards faith in their time of need, raising the example of Oleksandr, a young soldier who had gone to fight on the front with a copy of the gospels in his pocket, and who lost his life in the fighting. “Oleksandr is one of you,” said Pope Francis, describing him as “a young man who gave his life for peace.” He held up a rosary that had once belonged to the young soldier, adding that he prays with it every day. The Pope also heard testimonies from several of the Ukrainians present at the conference. One of them, a 27-year-old woman named Julia, expressed anguish at the thought of cities being destroyed, and the lives of her people with them. She referred to the ongoing war as a “genocide” against Ukrainians. Responding to her, Francis condemned the destruction and devastation of war, saying “War brings famine. Every evening, I call the parish in Gaza, and they tell me they often go hungry. War not only causes famine – it kills.” This is not the first time that Pope Francis has made an appeal for peace, and he has used the occasion of the Vatican Jubilee, as well as several important addresses to raise the issue. On Christmas Day, during his “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and world) blessing, Francis called for a ceasefire and Gaza, a return of Israeli hostages, and pushed for peace talks that would put an end to the war in Ukraine. “May the sound of arms be silenced in war-torn Ukraine,” he said outside of St. Peter’s Basilica. “May there be the boldness needed to open the door to negotiation and to gestures of dialogue and encounter, in order to achieve a just and lasting peace.” While the Pope has repeatedly raised the issue of ending the war, in this conference, he made a specific appeal to young people, asking them to carry on the patriotic spirit of the country in its greatest time of need. “Every young person has a mission”, he said, “In difficult times, young people must carry forward ‘the spirit of the homeland.’” Roughly 72% of Ukrainians are Orthodox Christian and around 9% are Catholic, according to a survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology in 2022.
