The hierarch of the Roman Catholic Church, Archbishop Mecislaw Mokszycki, hopes that Pope Francis will soon be able to visit Donbas, the eastern part of Ukraine most vulnerable to a potential Russian invasion.
In a conversation with the Italian news agency SIR, the hierarch expressed confidence that this would remove the specter of war, Credo Ukraine reports.
He noted that most Donbas residents do not have enough resources to flee to another part of Ukraine, and these people remain at home despite the ongoing hostilities. Instead, many residents of central Ukraine, including Kyiv, fled westwards. There are no more vacant apartments in Lviv and the surrounding villages, as they have been occupied by those seeking to be as far away from the front line as possible.
Archbishop Mokszycki added that it is believed that Russia intends to occupy most of Ukraine and cut off its access to the sea in order to have free access to Crimea. At the same time, the hierarch is convinced that neither Russians nor Ukrainians want this war as everyone wants to live in peace.
In September last year, Archbishop Mokszycki announced that the Pope could visit Ukraine in 2022.
Ambassador of Ukraine to the Vatican, Andy Yurash, stressed that the pontiff is going to Ukraine to contribute to peace for a society that is suffering from the grief and tragedy of war. At the same time, Russia is doing everything possible to prevent the Pope’s visit to Ukraine.
Despite the fact that the preparations for Pope Francis’ visit to Ukraine may take some time, Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv and All Ukraine believes it will eventually take place.
