A documentary about the war in Ukraine was shown in the Vatican with the participation of Pope Francis
This is reported by the UGCC Information Department.
Before the screening, the director Yevhen Afinievsky addressed the audience and briefly presented the film, emphasizing that it opens the audience to the war that began immediately after the Revolution of Dignity in 2014 and continues after the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022. The film crew managed to document the horrific events in Ukraine through the personal stories of various Ukrainians to show the world true heroism, the victory of the human spirit, and the fact that democratic values will prevail.
Later, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the papal alms distributor, who has already visited Ukraine five times to deliver humanitarian aid, addressed the audience.
"Where there is much suffering, there is even more of God's Grace. When I was in Ukraine, it might have seemed that evil would win. But this is not the case. After all, there are so many people in Ukraine who pray, do not lose hope, and want freedom. On my last trip from Odesa to Kharkiv, I distributed four thousand rosaries to the military. And they all wore them around their necks before going into battle. It was a sign of hope and peace for them. There are so many people in Ukraine who are suffering and crying, and only peace can stop this catastrophe, which we must all constantly ask the Lord for," the cardinal said.
After watching the film, Pope Francis addressed the audience and prayed with everyone, asking the Lord to heal the hearts, minds and eyes of people so that "they can see the beauty that you created, not destroy." In conclusion, he wished that God "sowed the seeds of peace in US."
"When God created man, he told him to plow the earth, take care of growth, to make it beautiful. The spirit of war is the opposite: to destroy, to destroy, not to allow growth, to destroy everyone, men, women, children, the elderly," said Pope Francis.
"Today is already a year of this war. Let's look at Ukraine, pray for Ukraine, let the pain into our hearts. We should not be ashamed to suffer and cry, because war is destruction. War is always a step back," the pope said, touched by the viewing, and then called for prayer together, saying: "Holy Father, who is in Heaven, have mercy on our hardships, wounds, pain. Take pity also on our selfishness, our low interests, and our ability to self-destruct. Heal and heal our hearts, minds, and eyes so that we can see the beauty that you have created and not destroy it in selfishness. Sow the seeds of peace with us. Amen to that."
