By Catholic News Service
LVIV, Ukraine – For Msgr. Kieran Harrington, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States, the timing of his visit to Ukraine – Holy Week according to the Julian calendar – was intentional.

“I thought that it is important at this moment of war to come to a place we support to be with those who are in the midst of suffering, to be with Christ where he is suffering now, to stand at the foot of the cross here in Ukraine,” he said.

“You cannot stop the suffering, but you can be with them, so that they know they are not suffering by themselves, so they know that they are not alone,” he said. “It matters that someone comes and cares about your suffering.”

Msgr. Harrington admitted a bit of fear traveling to Ukraine. “And then I meet mothers concerned about their children, who’ve heard the pounding of bombs and the scaring effect of that. I speak to a young girl who had gone through that experience and is looking at her sister and not wanting her sister to experience that.

“And others feel hatred for what is being done and are so upset that they are hating, because they know we are made for love. This is the takeaway for me. That God made us to love. And war makes us hate.”

Bringing humanitarian aid and other assistance for the outreach by the church in Ukraine and in Poland, Msgr. Harrington noted that “spiritual accompaniment” was critical as well: “to be here in Holy Week, to pray with the people, to journey with them through our Lord’s passion and crucifixion, to remind them of the hope of the resurrection.”

The Pontifical Mission Societies are intended to help the church grow, including with programs for children.

“But now we are in war,” Msgr. Harrington said, “and many of those who have supported our work want to help with the immediate need. And so that is why I am here, to bring that immediate help for food, for medicine. Our brothers and sisters are suffering, so we give what we can.”

Traveling with Msgr. Harrington throughout Ukraine were Father Sebastian Sardo, an Argentine priest who is ecclesiastical assistant at the U.S. office of the Pontifical Mission Societies, and Father Israel Perez, a priest of the Brooklyn Diocese, who is originally from Cuba.

St. Joseph Monastery of the Basilian Fathers near Lviv opened its doors to 170 refugees. This is where the U.S. group started its journey in Ukraine April 20.

Basilian Father Panteleimon Trofimov, the monastery’s superior, told Msgr. Harrington he had no hesitation in welcoming the refugees, mostly mothers and children.

“We are Christians. How could we not welcome them into our home? Our place is to be with people,” he said.

One refugee, Halina, made a 12-hour journey from Kyiv to the Lviv monastery. She said she asks God to keep as many people alive as possible. When asked about where God is in all this, a widow, Taisia, 85, also staying at the monastery, said: “God is here! Here’s an example for you: How else did we get here?”

Many Eastern-rite Catholics, as well as Orthodox, celebrate Easter according to the Julian calendar, often a week after Latin-rite Catholics celebrate Easter.

On Holy Thursday, April 21, Msgr. Harrington visited Ternopil. In addition to the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, he met with Ukrainian Catholic Auxiliary Bishop Teodor Martynyuk and discussed church efforts to assist refugees from eastern Ukraine.

The U.S. delegation traveled to Kyiv on Good Friday, April 22, and visited an area with cars destroyed by bullets and bombs – cars where children and families were killed. The priests also prayed at a mass grave.
“Horrifying,” Msgr. Harrington said. “You see the physical destruction, but in speaking to the people, you also learn the emotional destruction.

“God is suffering with us in these moments, but it’s not the last word; we know that from Good Friday,” he said. “It may be ferocious, but at the end of the day, evil is conquered by grace.”

Returning to Lviv for Easter April 24, Msgr. Harrington reflected on his journey in light of Holy Week.
“It’s the grace of Christ’s death and resurrection that give us life,” he said, “and we believe that there will be an Easter moment.”

He encouraged prayer – “we help by our prayers” – and support – “that is what charity is, it is love, giving of ourselves.”

“This was a privileged time,” Msgr. Harrington said, “a blessing to walk with them in their suffering, to walk with them in solidarity.”

By the end of the week, $200,000 had been sent by the Pontifical Mission Societies to support the efforts of the Catholic Church in Ukraine and Poland to assist refugees and those in immediate need.

Editors: Support can be offered for all these efforts through the Pontifical Mission Societies at MISSIO.org/HelpUkraine.

By Judith Sudilovsky
JERUSALEM (CNS) – With pandemic restrictions almost fully lifted, churches and shopkeepers alike are hopeful that the streets of Jerusalem will fill up once again as Easter, Passover and Ramadan converge.

Joseph Hazboun, regional director of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association-Pontifical Mission in Jerusalem, noted that the pandemic has left its mark not only on people in the tourism industry but also on some monasteries and convents that depend on the sales of their homemade products. Though there are signs of returning pilgrims, he said, it is still a long way off from the high numbers of three years ago.

And with the continuing unchecked vandalism attacks on church property, especially but not only in Jerusalem, Christians feel threatened, he said.

In addition to vandalism, in March, Israelis and Palestinians saw an increase in violence. In early March, seven Palestinians were killed in separate clashes with Israeli forces, and in late March three terrorist attacks that killed 11 people left Israelis reeling.

On April 2, the patriarchs and heads of local churches of Jerusalem condemned the violence and called on Christians, Muslims and Jews to show mutual respect for one another at the rare confluence of the three major religious holidays. They called on government authorities to “exercise policies of religious tolerance, restraint of force, and de-escalation of conflict.”

“In these coming weeks that are sacred to our respective religious traditions, we encourage all people of good faith to walk in the pathway of peace that is so central to the symbolism of Jerusalem, the City of Peace. In this way, we can be true witnesses to the world of the common vision of peace/shalom/salaam that is enshrined within the heart of our separate but intertwined religious beliefs,” they said.

This is not the first cycle of violence the Holy Land has experienced, said Sami El-Yousef, chief executive officer of the Latin Patriarchate, and the region has always found a way to rise above it all during religious celebrations.

“If we are faithful to our religion – regardless whether Muslim, Jewish, or Christian – the upcoming season must present a different track to take us all back to the basics and celebrate the majesty of Jerusalem.” He said the season must be “the symbol of unity and peace rather than division and violence.”

Having just returned from Gaza, El-Yousef noted that the Christian community was “very happy” that this year, for the Easter holiday, 720 Israeli travel permits for 80 days were issued. Israel and Egypt have blockaded the Gaza Strip for more than 15 years.

In the northern Israeli city of Haifa, Reem Abunassar, 46, who teaches religious education at St. Joseph Catholic Parish, is still traumatized by the riots last year in Israeli mixed cities at the end of Ramadan, when violence broke out between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Her four young adult daughters were attacked by a Jewish mob in front of their house.

During Lent she has been praying for peace, she said.

“To get into the spirit of Easter, I pray each and every day that there will be peace in the world,” she said. “I don’t believe in any violence, in any terrorist attacks, in killing of any kind. This is not in my religion. I believe in peace, and I believe that peace will one day prevail, because I pray a lot for this.”

Sister Bridget Tighe, a member of the Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood and general director of Caritas Jerusalem, noted that while this Easter season people are hoping the economy will slowly get back on track, especially with the return of tourism in Bethlehem, West Bank, it will take time, and there is still need for assistance.

In his call for the Good Friday Collection for the Holy Land, Franciscan Father Francesco Patton, custos of the Holy Land, noted how the unprecedented situation of the past two years has affected the Christian communities throughout the Middle East.

“With difficulty we have tried to support materially the weakest communities: the community of Bethlehem and that of Jerusalem, with no more pilgrims and no work; the communities of Lebanon, devastated by an increasingly economic and political crisis; those of Syria, which remains like a prisoner of a war that seems to never end. Also this year on Good Friday, please remember us, your brothers and sisters who live in the Holy Land. Help us according to the generosity of your heart, remembering the words of our Lord Jesus: ‘There is more joy in giving than in receiving'” he said in the statement.

Por Lucien Chauvin

SANTIAGO DE CHUCO, Perú (CNS) — El padre Carlos Campos sabía que enfrentaría múltiples desafíos cuando fue designado para administrar la iglesia principal en Santiago de Chuco — una ciudad situada en las montañas del norte de Perú — pero nunca esperó recibir amenazas físicas.

Dicho departamento alberga algunos de los distritos más pobres de Perú, y grandes zonas suelen quedar aisladas durante la temporada de lluvias, los primeros tres meses del año. La pobreza y el aislamiento empeoraron cuando la pandemia golpeó solo unos meses después de la llegada del padre Campos, y el gobierno de Perú implementó una cuarentena drástica de tres meses.

El padre Campos y un grupo de jóvenes feligreses formaron un grupo Laudato Si’ y comenzaron un trabajo de extensión que incluyó asistencia técnica para agricultores, distribución de alimentos y, más recientemente, la construcción de un comedor de beneficencia que brindará alrededor de 150 comidas diarias, principalmente a los residentes mayores. El padre Campos también supervisa una pequeña escuela parroquial.

La labor social fue bien recibida, pero el padre Campos no encontró la misma reacción cuando comenzó a cuestionar el impacto de la minería salvaje en la provincia. En lugar de apoyo, él comenzó a recibir amenazas.

“La minería salvaje no solo afecta el medio ambiente, sino a toda la sociedad. Recibimos amenazas cuando empezamos a oponernos a lo que estaban haciendo. Desafiarlos es básicamente como David enfrentando a Goliat”, expresó el padre Campos.

Santiago de Chuco y las provincias aledañas son ricas en oro y otros metales, y la minería existe desde la época precolombina. Si bien hay minas formales de clase mundial en la zona, grandes áreas de la provincia han sido invadidas por mineros salvajes, que excavan en las colinas en busca de minerales; ellos no usan equipo de protección y no cumplen con las normas ambientales.

El padre Campos reveló que el problema se intensificó durante la pandemia, cuando otras fuentes de trabajo se evaporaron y la gente recurrió a la minería.

“El poco control que había sobre la minería salvaje desapareció con la pandemia. Se ha convertido en una batalla campal donde quiera que vayas. Están contaminando el aire, el suelo, y el agua”, acotó.

El gobierno de Perú y las agencias internacionales han centrado la atención en la minería salvaje en la Amazonía, especialmente en el departamento de Madre de Dios, en el sureste de Perú, donde el papa Francisco llamó a la minería ilegal de oro un “falso dios” durante una visita a Perú en 2018. Varios distritos de Madre de Dios están en estado de emergencia desde febrero de 2019; sin embargo, la destrucción y la violencia continúan.

Hombres armados desconocidos dispararon y mataron a un activista ambiental el 20 de marzo en La Pampa, una de las zonas mineras salvajes más notorias. El Vicariato Apostólico de Puerto Maldonado condenó el asesinato de Juan Fernández, exigiendo una investigación y preguntando de qué sirve la emergencia si el Estado no puede proteger a sus ciudadanos. El hermano de Fernández es líder de una comunidad cristiana en Madre de Dios.

“Nos solidarizamos con quienes, en esta región de Madre de Dios, día tras día, se
sienten abandonados por un Estado que parece no velar por ellos. ¡Están siendo amenazados y
asesinados!”, dijo el vicariato.

La minería salvaje en el altiplano ha recibido mucha menos atención.

El epicentro en esta parte del Perú es Quiruvilca, un pueblo de 4,150 pies sobre el nivel del mar en Santiago de Chuco. Su nombre significa “diente de plata” en quechua, la lengua indígena más prevalente de Perú.

La gran mina polimetálica de Quiruvilca cerró abruptamente en diciembre de 2017, dejando a miles de mineros sin empleo de la noche a la mañana. La mayoría inmediatamente decidió minar por su cuenta y muchos otros se mudaron con la pandemia. El alcalde Oscar Diestra dijo que no sabe cuántas personas están trabajando en los cerros, pero en el último conteo había más de 100 actividades económicas diferentes — desde cavar la tierra hasta operar puestos de comida — relacionadas con la minería en el pueblo.

“Aquí todo gira en torno a la minería, aunque ya no tengamos una empresa minera”, indicó.

ROME (CNS) – The Ukrainian Catholic Archdiocese of Kyiv-Halych and the Ukrainian Embassy to the Holy See said they had received information that Russia planned airstrikes on the Cathedral of St. Sophia in Kyiv.

Not only is the cathedral holy to all Slavic peoples, but it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The cathedral has religious significance for the Orthodox and Ukrainian Catholics. Its construction was begun in the 11th century, several hundred years before Ukrainian Catholics declared their union with Rome and broke union with the Orthodox.

A Rome spokesman for Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv-Halych, major archbishop of the Byzantine Catholic church, said church officials had received intelligence about the airstrikes. He said Archbishop Shevchuk called on all Christians to pray for the site and “calls upon the aggressor to refrain from this most horrific act of vandalism.”
“May St. Sophia – the wisdom of God – illumine those who have considered committing this crime,” Archbishop Shevchuk said.

The Ukrainian Embassy to the Holy See tweeted out the information from “intelligence data” and said in all caps, “We appeal to the Russians – do not commit the crime.”

The March 1 warning came as Russia began airstrikes against Kyiv and warned residents near Ukrainian security services to evacuate their homes.

Nicholas Rudnytzky, professor of history and dean of academic services at Manor College in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, spoke to catholicphilly.com about the importance of the cathedral.

“St. Sophia is a testament to Ukrainian national consciousness and spirit,” he said.

He noted that given its prominence in the history of Orthodox Christianity as well, “it is the symbol of all Christianity. No Orthodox faithful of any kind would ever contemplate such an act, which is unthinkable.”

Rudnytzky said if this intelligence is true, “Putin is betraying his hand here and trying to do what the Soviets couldn’t. This (would not just be) an attack on Western civilization, but a specified attack on Christianity.”

(Contributing to this story was Gina Christian in Philadelphia.)

By Jonathan Luxmoore
WARSAW, Poland (CNS) – Catholics in Russia have been left “grieving, angered and bewildered” by their country’s invasion of Ukraine, according to the church’s spokesman, who also warned that citizens would face harsh economic consequences from the conflict.

Father Kirill Gorbunov, spokesman for the Russian bishops’ conference, said many Catholics are angry “and don’t know where to direct this anger – some are turning it on God, on the church, on the Russian government and on the world.”

“While some Catholics are reacting as if none of this affects them, some discussion groups formed as part of the church’s synodal process have now come together for mutual support in the current state of grief, anger and bewilderment,” said Father Gorbunov, who is also vicar general of the Moscow-based Mother of God Archdiocese.

“It’s obvious this situation will have very, very severe consequences for the well-being of citizens here. Our most important task as priests is to remind people of the church’s teaching on war and peace. But we must also be very attentive to the most vulnerable – the elderly, sick and poor – and act as counselors, helping people react in a meaningful, prayerful way which leads to integrity rather than madness.”

Detachments from Russia’s invasion force, amassed in border regions since last fall, attacked Ukraine in the early hours of Feb. 24, triggering harsh resistance from Ukraine’s 200,000-strong armed forces and a huge refugee exodus, as well as sharp fall in Russian currency, the ruble. On March 1, Russian troops continued to pound Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, and a 40-mile column of Russian tanks and vehicles was reported to be within 20 miles of Kyiv.

In a Feb. 24 pastoral message, Russia’s five-member bishops’ conference said it was “deeply shocked” that war had erupted “despite huge efforts at reconciliation,” and the bishops backed the pope’s appeal for March 2, Ash Wednesday, to be marked by “intense prayer and fasting for the sake of saving human lives.”

They also asked priests to celebrate Masses “for the preservation of peace and justice” and called on fellow Christians “to resist lies and hatred, and be a source of reconciliation.”

“This confrontation brings death and destruction and threatens the security of the entire world,” the bishops said.
“The peoples of our countries are united not only by a common history, but also by a great common suffering that befell us in the past because of the madness of war. … Let our contemporaries know they will have to give a strict account for the military actions they have taken. The course of coming centuries largely depends on their current decisions.”

As the war progressed, Russian Catholic churches held peace prayer vigils. The Saratov-based St. Clement Diocese began a nine-day adoration of the Blessed Sacrament March 1.

Moscow Archbishop Paolo Pezzi, president of the bishops’ conference, circulated a “prayer for peace and fatherland,” to be read at Masses. It calls for Catholics to “be able to see a common future,” while also shunning “lies that destroy the world.”

Father Gorbunov told CNS Russia’s bishops had based their message on the church’s dogmatic constitution, “Lumen Gentium,” and were “expressing church teaching, not just their own opinion.”

“We’ll see if they wish to expand on this in coming days, but I personally think things are changed not by statements, but by the change of heart people experience during prayer, thinking and talking,” he said. “In normal everyday life, people don’t always understand what’s going on. But when they start to pray, they understand the terror, find compassion and see the necessity of doing something.”

“Like many ordinary people, I’m no expert in predictions – the decision-makers will get what they deserve, and I hope it won’t be the worst-case scenario for either Ukraine or our country,” he said.

Prayer for Ukraine

God of infinite mercy and goodness, with grateful hearts we pray to you today for peace. You offer us your peace continually (Jn 14:27) and constantly remind us that peacemakers are blessed, “for they shall be called children of God.” (Mt 5:9) May your voice resound in the hearts of all, as you call us to follow the path of reconciliation and peace, and to be merciful as you are merciful.

We pray to you for the people of the Ukraine who are experiencing conflicts and deaths. Bless the leaders with wisdom, vision and perseverance needed to build together a world of justice and solidarity, and to break down walls of hostility and division.

To you we entrust all families and pray that they may never yield to discouragement and despair, but become heralds of new hope to one another in this challenging time.

May you continue to inspire all of us to oneness of heart and mind, to work generously for the common good, to respect the dignity of every person and the fundamental rights which have their origin in the image and likeness of God impressed upon every human being.

Grant eternal rest to the dead and quick recovery to the wounded, we pray through Christ our Lord, Amen!

(Prayer adapted from: Pope JPII’s Prayer for Peace, shared by St. Stephen Pro-tomartyr Ukrainian Catholic Church, Calgary)

By Catholic News Service
WARSAW, Poland – Church leaders in embattled Ukraine have warned that foreign missionaries could be targeted by attacking forces, while many could be branded “NATO spies” if Russia occupies the country.

“Clergy from Western countries will certainly be at risk – the Soviet rulers viewed priests and nuns as Vatican spies, and now they’ll be spies of NATO and the European Union,” Auxiliary Bishop Jan Sobilo of Kharkiv-Zaporizhia told Catholic News Service March 3.

“Judging by what’s happened in other occupied areas, we can also expect restrictions on Masses and other activities. By defending Ukraine, we are also defending the Catholic Church,” he said.

A Polish priest in Kharkiv said he also feared repression against foreign clergy, especially those from Poland and other NATO countries.

“We were all given a free choice to leave or stay by our bishops – and while a few have had to go, almost everyone else has remained,” Father Wojciech Pasiewicz, director of the church’s Caritas Spes charity in the partly destroyed eastern city, told CNS March 3.

“Given the restrictions and controls placed on freedom and democracy in Crimea and other regions, we can clearly expect the same here and anticipate real dangers from the Russians,” he said. “But what matters now is that this war ends, and people are allowed to return to their homes and churches.”

“We are simply praying and doing all we can to stay in touch with our faithful, while many hide out in parish basements,” Father Pasiewicz told CNS. “The children are terrified, and there’s fear and panic everywhere, with some still hoping to be evacuated. We should all be praying for peace and mourning the dead, uniting in hope that this will all end today or tomorrow.”

Bishop Sobilo told CNS the civilian population had now mobilized to defend the country. He said many Russian soldiers appeared “disorientated and demoralized” by the fierce Ukrainian reaction, but feared being shot if they attempted to surrender and withdraw.

Hundreds of Polish priests and nuns have helped run Catholic parishes and charity projects since Ukraine’s 1991 independence and are currently stranded in its eastern and southern war zones.

Polish Father Piotr Rosochacki, who heads Caritas-Spes on the Black Sea, told the Polish Catholic news agency KAI the situation was growing “increasingly desperate,” adding that “all principles for waging war” had been violated in the bitter fighting.

Meanwhile, the Caritas director in Mariupol, Father Roscislav Spryniuk, told KAI attacking Russian troops had fired on residential areas, adding that shops and cashpoints were now empty.

Bishop Sobilo told CNS some Polish clergy had been forced to leave for health reasons or a lack of relevant documents, adding that he had ordered one priest to quit his parish, unwillingly, fearing harm from Russian troops.

However, he added that the “decisive majority” had remained in place, helping people who had fled other cities.

“In Russia itself, the Catholic Church isn’t well regarded and has continual problems,” he told CNS. “So we can be sure we’ll find ourselves in a very difficult, bad situation if we’re occupied.”

Russia’s forces, amassed in border regions since last fall, invaded Ukraine Feb. 24, triggering harsh resistance from the country’s 200,000-strong armed forces, as well as a sharp fall in Russia’s ruble currency amid Western economic sanctions and pledges of military assistance.

Russian troops continued to close on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, March 3 as tens of thousands fled the fighting and Western governments backed an investigation by the International Criminal Court into alleged war crimes by invading forces.

Shelling damaged the Assumption Orthodox Cathedral in Kharkiv, reportedly with windows and other decorations broken, The Associated Press reported March 3.

In his national address that day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pledged to restore Kharkiv’s cathedral.
“Even if you destroy all our Ukrainian cathedrals and churches, you will not destroy our sincere faith in Ukraine and in God,” the president told Russians.