Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church during his visit to the Vatican gave Pope Francis a piece from an exploded Russian mine, a visible sign of the destruction and death that war brings every day.
He visits Rome to share his concerns about the war in Ukraine with Pope Francis and the Roman Curia. It is the first time that Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk leaving Ukraine since Russia launched its attack on 24 February this year.
It is during this visit, Schevchuk gave Pope Francis a fragment of a mine that destroyed the front of a Ukrainian Greek Catholic church in the town of Irpin, outside Kyiv. This piece of mine was a very symbolic gift that represented the worst atrocities of Russian aggression against Ukraine because such pieces of land mines are extracted from the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers, civilians and children. Approximately 4.5 million Ukrainians are affected by the Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure. As per the Ukrainian government, 10,000 members of the Ukrainian forces had been killed, 30,000 wounded, and 7,200 were missing in the first three months after the invasion.
Pope Francis reassured his closeness to the Ukrainian people in prayer and action. The Pope also encouraged the Major Archbishop Shevchuk and his fellow bishops to continue their evangelical service of closeness to the suffering people. The Pope asserted the commitment of the Holy See in promoting an end to aggression, the arrival of a just peace, and solidarity and support for the Ukrainian people.