I don't want to be a judge to anyone, and I won't be original when commenting on the scenario of the Cross Procession on Good Friday at the Colosseum, where the cross should be carried jointly by Ukrainians and Russians. I share the opinion of many compatriots that the issue of its XIII standing causes suffering rather than unites warring peoples.
This message was published by the Bishop of the Diocese of Kyiv and Zhytomyr of the RCC in Ukraine, Vitaliy Kryvytskyi, on his Facebook page.
"The reconciliation gesture itself is good, but the details of the circumstances may not be clear from the outside of the conflict because they are ambiguous. This is why such a strong outrage arises.
I have a priest in the diocese who is now going through a difficult joint replacement process. Although this is not a very difficult operation in our time, its complexity lies in the fact that the bone of the joint has serious inflammation. A new joint is not something bad, but it will not fall into the desired place if the disease is not cured.
It seems to me that over the past 24 hours, I have done everything possible to convey the inconsistency of this liturgical gesture in the context of the terrible war and its planned possible escalation. I give the rest to God. I am also convinced that I did everything possible on my own behalf not to say an unnecessary word of condemnation in the direction of those who did not fully weigh all the circumstances. I made a mistake trying to make my own efforts to stop the war. I sincerely hope that the organizers will still have the opportunity to correct the scenario of the way of the Cross and avoid further disputes on this topic," Bishop Vitaliy Kryvytskyi said in a note.