Having learned with great sorrow the news of the attacks on two medical centers in Kyiv, including the largest Ukrainian children’s hospital, and on a school in Gaza, Pope francesco – the Holy See informs – wanted to express closeness to the victims and the innocent wounded, expressing deep concern at the increase in violence. “I hope and pray that concrete paths can soon be identified to put an end to the ongoing conflicts.”.
Harsh and condemnatory words were instead pronounced by the Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholics, His Beatitude Svyatoslav Shevchuk: “I cry out to the conscience of all the people of the entire world. I ask you to condemn this crime and to do everything in your power to stop and punish the hand of the ruthless murderer. Today we cry together with all the victims”. “This – continues the archbishop – is not only a crime against human laws and principles, against international norms that tell us about customs and rules of conducting war. According to Christian morality, this is a sin, which cries out to heaven for vengeance”. The statement ends with aa prayer for all the victims«especially for innocently killed children“, with words of condolences to the relatives and friends of the victims and a thought for those “in these minutes, health workers and volunteers, arranged in a human chain, are removing the rocks to save even those children, whose hearts continue to beat under the rubble”.
