The bishop with some parishioners.
The third Christmas in war, under bombing. For the Ukrainian population, the third year of conflict was particularly hard and painful, marked by the widespread feeling of enormous tiredness, by the uncertainty about what the future of the country will be and what price the Ukrainians will have to pay to reach the end of the fighting. While Donald Trump announces that he wants to meet Vladimir Putin as soon as possible and there is talk of an upcoming peace conference that will also include Russia, Ukraine continues to suffer massive attacks from Moscow’s forces who continue to advance and conquer new parts of territory in the east. The primary objectives of the Russian raids are the energy infrastructure, to paralyze the country during the winter freeze.
Four days ago a hail of ballistic missiles launched at Kyiv caused one death, injured several and damaged six diplomatic mission locations. An attack that was strongly condemned by the European Union and NATO. In recent days, Moscow’s raids have hit numerous cities, from Kherson to Kharkiv, from Kyvyi Rih to Zaporizhzhia.
And precisely from this last city in eastern Ukraine, from the Co-Cathedral of God the Merciful Father, Monsignor Jan Sobilo, Polish prelate who has lived in Ukraine for more than thirty years, Roman Catholic auxiliary bishop of the diocese of Kharkiv-Zaporizhzhiasend a message to Christian family his reflection and his prayer for the tormented country, on the eve of Christmas, between pain, waiting and hope.
«God is also born in war. He came to earth to bring true peace. I look at the great destruction of the war and the graves of soldiers and wounded amputees, residential buildings, hospitals, churches destroyed…
I try to find the little Jesus who is with us. I see it in people ready to share their last piece of bread. I see Jesus in the wounded, who, suffering greatly, comfort others… And the song “Silent Night, Holy Night” gives us hope that days of silence and peace will come, that children will return to school, that the air raids the alarms will stop.
The Lord Jesus has come, he is the King of peace and in Him is our hope and He is our joy.”
(In the photo above: Monsignor Jan Sobilo celebrates mass in the Co-Cathedral of God the Merciful Father in Zaporizhzhia)
