Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, reflected on the current situation of the conflict going on in Ukraine, stating that believers should pray to God, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, to convert the hearts of the “warlords” and achieve peace.
Cardinal Parolin said he felt “deep sadness” at the daily news of “death and destruction” in Ukraine, to which he said he would not “get used to it or remain indifferent,” as the 1000 days since the start of the war in Ukraine.
The Secretary of State lamented the “sacrifice of entire generations of men, young and not so young, torn from study, work and family” to be sent to the front. Ukraine, he said, “is an attacked and martyred country.”
“We can strive to never fail in our solidarity with those who suffer, those who need care, those who are cold, those who need everything. The Church in Ukraine does a lot for the population, sharing day after day the fate of a country at war,” said Cardinal Parolin in an interview with Vatican News.
“We can make our voice heard, as a community, as a people, to ask for peace. We can make our cry heard, to demand that the demands for peace be heard, taken into account. We can say no to war, to the mad arms race that Pope Francis continues to denounce,” he stressed.
The cardinal said that “negotiating a just peace takes time” but that a ceasefire could take place within a few hours if Russia — “which started the conflict and is supposed to stop the aggression” — so decides.
Men are needed, the cardinal continued, echoing the words of Pope Francis, “who are committed to peace and not war” and who “realise the enormous responsibility that continuing a conflict represents” with terrible consequences for Europe and the entire world.
Meanwhile, he said, the Holy See is continuing its efforts to facilitate a negotiation between the parties in conflict, one that “is always possible and desirable for all those who value the sacredness of human life,” he said.
“We cannot give in to the inevitability of war! I sincerely hope that this sad day, the thousandth since the beginning of military aggression against Ukraine, will provoke a jolt of responsibility in everyone, and in particular in those who can stop the carnage that is taking place,” the Secretary of State concluded.