“Sincere thanks to all who joined and each in different ways supported the position of the Embassy and showed that even the impossible becomes a reality when working together for the holy cause!” Ambassador Andriy Yurash wrote on his Facebook page.
“The Way of the Cross in the Colosseum with its dramatic statio 13, so painful for Ukraine, took place.
The world saw two female faces to symbolize Ukraine and Russia. But had it not been for the preceding very powerful work to deny this concept, in which even those who did not even suspect its existence learned about the Way of the Cross in Rome, no one would have guessed that it’s the two warring states that the women in statio 13 embody…
The fact is that the arguments of the Ukrainian side (the official statement and the corresponding note of the Embassy of Ukraine at the Holy See was the first in a series of other similar appeals) were treated attentively in the Holy See: instead of the intended extensive text where the idea about the ‘fraternal nations’ was set to be voiced, it was suggested to pray in silence…
It was useless to hope that the text and content of the Way of the Cross, already published in all official sources, would be completely changed. But it was also impossible to fold our arms and do nothing…
Sincere thanks to all who joined and each in different ways supported the position of the Embassy and showed that even the impossible becomes a reality when working together for the holy cause!” Andriy Yurash emphasized.
As reported earlier, the script of the Way of the Cross in the Colosseum on Good Friday, April 15, where the cross is carried by two women – Ukrainian and Russian – for the sake of reconciliation, caused a flurry of negative reactions among Ukrainians.
Religious leaders, Ukrainian diplomats, and the Catholic media, who did not broadcast this year’s Way of the Cross from the Vatican in a move of protest, joined the criticism.
Ukrainians said that gestures of reconciliation were possible only after the end of the war and the repentance of the Russians.
Due to the indignation sparked among Ukrainians, the text of the reflections of statio 13 of the Way of the Cross in the Colosseum on the theme of the war in Ukraine and reconciliation was changed. According to the updated script, the faithful prayed in silence for peace in the world. The cross was still held by the two women – Ukrainian and Russian.
