One year of war: Head of Ukrainian Catholic Church shares hopes, sorrows February 21, 2023By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, War in Ukraine, World News With the first anniversary of Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine just days away, the head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church spoke about gratitude and powerlessness in the face of a “blind, absurd, sacrilegious war.”
U.S. bishops’ collection for Eastern Europe’s Catholics increasingly crucial as war rages in Ukraine February 21, 2023By Gina Christian OSV News Filed Under: Feature, Lent, News, War in Ukraine, World News On Ash Wednesday, Feb. 22, faithful across the country are being asked to donate to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Collection for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe.
Ukrainian Catholics hail Biden’s surprise visit to Kyiv for bravery, ‘amazing boost of hope’ February 20, 2023By Gina Christian OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, War in Ukraine, World News U.S. President Joe Biden’s unexpected Feb. 20 visit to Kyiv, calmly walking alongside Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as air raid sirens wailed in the capital, is being hailed as a surprise and a signal to the world, Ukrainian Catholic leaders told OSV News.
‘We cannot defend ourselves without arms,’ Ukrainian archbishop says in a Catholic panel February 9, 2023By Jonathan Luxmoore OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, War in Ukraine, World News The head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church has defended President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s requests for long-range weapons, although a Vatican diplomat warned that arm supply is a complex topic.
Russia poses ‘biggest threat to religious freedom in Ukraine,’ says archbishop February 6, 2023By Gina Christian OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, War in Ukraine, World News Russia’s aggression poses “the biggest threat to religious freedom in Ukraine,” said Metropolitan Archbishop Borys Gudziak, head of all Ukrainian Catholics in the U.S., during a Jan. 30 panel discussion on the subject.
Ukraine’s embattled religious orders keep faith and hope alive amid war February 4, 2023By Jonathan Luxmoore OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, War in Ukraine, World News Catholic religious orders have played a major role in channeling life-saving humanitarian aid across Ukraine since Russia’s February 2022 invasion, keeping hopes alive while continuing to minister to the country’s much-depleted Catholic communities.
Ukraine’s religious leaders renew invitation to pope to visit Kyiv January 26, 2023By Justin McLellan Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Vatican, War in Ukraine, World News Ukraine’s religious leaders asked Pope Francis to visit Kyiv, said Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv-Halych, the head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church.
Pope thanks Ukrainian religious leaders for unity in the face of conflict January 25, 2023By Justin McLellan Catholic News Service Filed Under: Ecumenism and Interfaith Relations, Feature, News, Vatican, War in Ukraine, World News As war ravages Ukraine, the country cannot be divided among religious confessions but must be united behind “mother Ukraine,” Pope Francis said.
Vatican funding for charitable works totals $10.7 million in 2022; $2.2 million alone goes to needs in Ukraine January 23, 2023By Paulina Guzik OSV News Filed Under: Feature, Giving, News, Vatican, War in Ukraine, World News The Dicastery for the Service of Charity, led by Polish Cardinal Krajewski, spent $2.2 million (2 million euros) in 2022 for humanitarian help in Ukraine.
Wage peace each day in life to overcome monster of war, pope says January 23, 2023By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Vatican, War in Ukraine, World News Even though war seems to be an “invincible monster,” everyone is called to be a peacemaker, Pope Francis told a group of people severely wounded in the line of duty.
Pope expresses concern over tensions on the Baltic Sea January 19, 2023By Justin McLellan Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Vatican, War in Ukraine, World News The Baltic Sea, shared by Russia and northern European countries, is a “source of life threatened by human action,” Pope Francis said.
Catholic groups say increasing Russian missile attacks make providing supplies to Ukrainians ‘extremely dangerous’ January 17, 2023By Jonathan Luxmoore OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, War in Ukraine, World News In a national message Jan. 15, the head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv-Halych, said the attack on Dnipro, where three days of mourning were declared, had been the “most tragic” of 57 weekend missile strikes against Kyiv, Kharkiv and other cities.