Vatican Secretary of State quoted Taras Shevchenko's poem to diplomats

This is reported by Vatican News.

The Holy Mass was served in Italian, but some parts of the service were performed in Ukrainian by the choir of the Pontifical Ukrainian College of St. Josaphat.

Cardinal Parolin also addressed the audience in Ukrainian.

"May the Lord bless Ukraine," he said and read out Shevchenko's verse, "And on the renewed land, there will be no enemy, adversary, аnd there will be a son, and there will be a mother, and there will be people on the land."

Together with the Secretary of State, bishops from Ukraine and the Roman Curia, employees of various dicasteries of the Apostolic capital and clergy of the Exarchate for Ukrainians of the Byzantine rite in Italy co-celebrated the Holy Mass. Diplomats representing more than 70 countries also joined in the solemn prayer.

The service was held in the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.