Delegation of relatives of Mariupol defenders handed over lists of prisoners to the Pope
The meeting was attended by Archbishop Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki, Metropolitan of Lviv of the RCC in Ukraine, according to the official website of the RCC in Ukraine.
After the general audience, he shared his thoughts with the Vatican News editorial board:
"I am glad that by God's Providence, I was given such grace and opportunity to come here, to the tombs of St. Peter, Pope John Paul II, and Benedict XVI, and through their intercession, ask for peace together with pilgrims from Ukraine. The audience was also attended by the wives and mothers of the soldiers held in captivity. They told Pope Francis a lot about this suffering and asked for a blessing for their sons and husbands and all those suffering in this war. They also asked him to pray for peace. I also had the opportunity to thank the Holy Father for his daily prayers and for the fact that every Sunday and every Wednesday during his audience, he mentions Ukraine, always saying that he prays for a suffering Ukraine. Today, he also said those words. He encouraged prayer with psalms and mentioned that he received a book of psalms that used to belong to a Ukrainian soldier. This is very important as we know that prayer has great power. I expressed my gratitude for this solidarity, for supporting our people, and especially for calling on the world and those in charge to make sure that the long-awaited peace comes as soon as possible."
