On April 25, Pope Francis consecrated the statue of Michael the Archangel from Gargano, which will be received by the Roman Catholic parish of St. Nicholas in Kyiv.
This is reported by Catholic Media Center.
The statue was brought to the Vatican from the sanctuary of Michael the Archangel in Gargano, Province of Foggia, in the Puglia region of Italy.
According to tradition, in the fifth century, the Archangel Michael appeared in a cave and led the inhabitants of this region to victory in the battle with the pagans. Then he said these words: "I am the Archangel Michael, who always stands before God's face. This grotto is dedicated to me; I guard it. Where the rock opens, the sins of people will be forgiven. The prayers that you will offer to God here will be heard," this is what the bishop of the diocese where Gargano is located heard.
The Archangel Michael and the Holy Grotto on the Gargano peninsula still attract thousands of pilgrims who come from everywhere to get to the place that one of the Archangels personally visited.
Gargano was visited by many saints, Popes, emperors, princes and Kings, particularly the Roman Caesar Otto III, St. Francis of Assisi, St. John Paul II.
A white statue that will be located in the Church of St. Nicholas in Kyiv, the same size as the original one created by Andrea Sansovino in 1507. It represents the Archangel Michael, who tramples Satan with his left foot, raises his sword with his right hand, and with the little finger of his left hand, one link in the chain completely controls the movements of the Lord of Hell and does not allow him to move his head. The one who "always stands before God's face" holds Satan with his little finger!
Rector of the parish of St. Nicholas in Kyiv, Fr Pavlo Vyshkovsky, recalls: "I visited Gargano several times. I have always been struck by the large number of pilgrims who arrive there and the special sanctity felt at the place of Revelation. The Holy Archangel Michael is featured in the coat of arms of the city of Kyiv, so immediately after I was appointed rector of the parish, I dreamed that the statue of Michael the Archangel from Gargano would be in our church. After all, for more than 30 years, there has been a spiritual struggle for this shrine to become the home of God again. Now there is a large-scale war going on in our country, and all Christians should be aware of and fight sin, not people, so we need to pray for the patronage of Michael the Archangel and ask for his help in the most difficult matters, in particular in the fight against Satan. The Archangel Michael is a knight who fights sin and evil spirits. He does not threaten people. The sword in his hand is directed against Satan. The one whose task is to bring souls to God will make sure that the state of our souls does not offend God in any way. We don't know if Pope Francis will be able to come to Kyiv in person on June 1, but I am grateful to God that he blessed this statue for our church, which will be solemnly installed on the day the shrine is returned to us, that is, on June 1, 2022."