The Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin continues his journey through Ukraine; on 22 July he met with the country’s Patriarch, His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk.
After visiting the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Berdychiv on Sunday, July 21, the cardinal met today with Sviatoslav Shevchuk at the seat of the major archbishopric.
From there, according to Vatican Media, the Secretary of State urged people to say a “great prayer for peace.”
He also reiterated Pope Francis’ closeness to the country at war and stressed that the Pontiff feels the pain and “the suffering of this people.”
During his meeting with the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Cardinal Parolin also noted that the Church must have a “prophetic role.”
He therefore called for “a great prayer for peace, based on the conviction that everything is possible for God and that, although our hopes are always finite and limited, we know that God is greater than ourselves, our hearts and our possibilities.”
He also highlighted the progress made in the structure of the archbishopric since his last visit in 2016, despite the consequences of the war that has ravaged the country since February 2022.
“There has been considerable progress and progress has been made in many areas, especially in the Church. I am happy to see these things,” said Cardinal Parolin.
The Secretary of State will remain in the country invaded by the Russian army until Wednesday, July 24, visiting cities such as Kyiv and Odessa.
This trip aims to convey the closeness of the Holy Father and to convey his hope of finding the necessary paths to peace.
It is worth noting that during yesterday’s Angelus prayer, Pope Francis expressed his hope that the Paris Olympic Games would be an opportunity for peace and a truce from wars in the world.