Dear Friends,
We are taking up a second collection today for the people of Ukraine who are suffering such profound loss. The collection is being taken up by the United States Catholic Bishops.
One great sadness I have felt with this war is, just like the two prior world wars, that it is Christian killing Christian. Just like the Cain and Abel story, it is brother killing brother. Here it is Russian Orthodox, with their leader Putin, killing Ukrainian Orthodox and Ukrainian Catholic brothers and sisters. How horrible. What a terrible example to the world as to how Christians love one another. What a great failure to follow the teaching of Jesus.
Pope Francis had a video conference with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church on Wednesday of this week. The Russian Patriarch has been a staunch supporter of Putin’s actions and he is Putin’s good friend. Their remarks were communicated in a Vatican statement Wednesday evening. The video conference came after rumors had circulated that Kirill had blocked attempts by Pope Francis to speak directly to Putin.
“The Church must not use the language of politics, but the language of Jesus,” the pope said, according to the Vatican statement. In what was seemingly a nod to Russian suffering as a result of the war in addition to that of Ukraine, Francis said, “Those who pay the bill for the war are the people, it is Russian soldiers and it is the people who are bombed and die.”
“As pastors we have the duty to stay close and to help all the people who suffer from war,” Francis said. “At one time we also spoke in our churches of holy war or just war. Today we cannot speak like that. The Christian conscience has developed on the importance of peace.”
“The churches are called to contribute to strengthening peace and justice … Wars are always unjust, because the ones who pay are the people of God,” the pope said. “Our hearts cannot help but cry in front of the children, the women killed, all the victims of the war. War is never the way. The spirit that unites us asks us as pastors to help the peoples who suffer from war.”
At the Pope’s Wednesday audience, he prayed:
Forgive us for war, O Lord.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us sinners!
Lord Jesus, born in the shadows of bombs falling on Kyiv, have mercy on us!
Lord Jesus, who died in a mother’s arms in a bunker in Kharkiv, have mercy on us!
Lord Jesus, a 20-year-old sent to the frontlines, have mercy on us!
Lord Jesus, who still behold armed hands in the shadow of your Cross, have mercy on us!
Forgive us, O Lord.
Forgive us, if we are not satisfied with the nails with which we crucified Your hands, as we continue to slate our thirst with the blood of those mauled by weapons.
Forgive us, if these hands which You created to tend have been transformed into instruments of death.
Forgive us, O Lord, if we continue to kill our brother;
Forgive us, if we continue like Cain to pick up the stones of our fields to kill Abel.
Forgive us, if we continue to justify our cruelty with our labors, if we legitimize the brutality of our actions with our pain.
Forgive us for war, O Lord. Forgive us for war, O Lord.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, we implore You! Hold fast the hand of Cain!
Illumine our consciences;
May our will not be done;
Abandon us not to our own actions!
Stop us, O Lord, stop us!
And when you have held back the hand of Cain, care also for him. He is our brother.
O Lord, put a halt to the violence!
Stop us, O Lord!
Amen.
Peace,
Fr. Damian