The Church should be close to all victims, - Pope to the Ukrainian priest

This question was asked by a priest from Ukraine, reports CMC.

Your Holiness, Pope Francis, I am a Ukrainian priest. Today we see how many wars and armed conflicts there are in the world, especially the war in Ukraine. I want to ask what role the Catholic Church should play in relation to the territories affected by the war. What is the task of priests in these regions?

"The Catholic Church, the Holy Mother Church, is the mother of all nations. When children are fighting, the mother suffers. The church must suffer in the face of war – this is the destruction of its children. Just as a mother suffers from misunderstandings between children when they argue or don't talk to each other – these are small domestic wars – a Mother Church must suffer in the face of the war in your country. She must suffer, cry, and pray. It should help people who have suffered greatly, those who lost their homes, those who were wounded in the war, and those who died. The Church is the Mother, and its role is primarily to be close to those who suffer. Mothers are also creative in the cause of peace. They try to reconcile at certain times. In this case, it's not easy, but the Mother Church has an open heart.it's true that we have a homeland, and we must protect it. But we need to go further, to a more universal love. The Mother Church should be close to all victims. Moreover, it should pray for the repentance of the aggressor, the one who came to destroy the motherland and kill our relatives. Do we pray for this? This is the behavior of a Christian. Your people are suffering a lot, and I know it, and I'm with you. But pray for the aggressors because they are victims just as you are. Their wounds are invisible – they are in the soul, and you pray that the Lord will convert them and peace will come. This is important," Pope Francis said.