Pope: I am ready to go to Ukraine

Pope: I am ready to go to Ukraine

By Ronnie Convery

Pope Francis has signalled that he is ready to fly to Ukraine to try to halt the cruel war which is raging there following the Russian invasion.

Speaking to journalists on his return from a trip to Malta the Pope said a peace mission to Kyiv was ‘on the table’ suggesting he is waiting for agreement from the authorities before making such a bold intervention.

The Pope’s has been a constant voice for peace in recent weeks, condemning the Russian invasion and calling for an immediate end to hostilities. But until now discussion of a direct intervention had seemed wishful thinking.

Now it seems the Pope is anxious to go and stand in the centre of the conflict, begging for an end to hostilities.

He said: “I am willing to do whatever needs to be done, and the Holy See, especially the diplomatic side, Cardinal Parolin and Archbishop Gallagher, are doing everything … everything possible. We cannot render public everything they do, for prudence, for confidentiality, but we are pushing the boundaries of our work.

“Among the possibilities there is the trip …I answered with sincerity that I was planning to go, that my availability remains constant. There is no “no”: I am available.

“What are my thoughts regarding such a trip? I said that it is on the table; it is there, one of the proposals I have received, but I don't know if it can be done, if it is fitting, and whether it would be for the best or if it is fitting to undertake it, whether I should go… all this is in the air.”

The President of Ukraine has spoken to Pope Francis several times by phone and has encouraged him to visit the war-ravaged nation and to be a mediating force between Kyiv and Moscow.

While in Malta the Holy Father issued his strongest condemnation yet of the Russian invasion. He said: ““From the east of Europe, from the land of the sunrise, the dark shadows of war have now spread. We had thought that invasions of other countries, savage street fighting and atomic threats were grim memories of a distant past.

“However, the icy winds of war, which bring only death, destruction and hatred in their wake, have swept down powerfully upon the lives of many people and affected us all.

“Once again, some potentate, sadly caught up in anachronistic claims of nationalist interests, is provoking and fomenting conflicts…”

Archbishop Nolan’s Easter message: Pray for peace

“We preach a crucified Christ.” So St Paul wrote in his letter to the Corinthians. And during this Holy Week we meditate on the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus. We contemplate the unjust and inhumane treatment that he received. So cruelly treated by his fellow human beings!

Sadly this Holy Week we are also all too conscious of the pain and suffering being inflicted on so many people today due to the wars and conflicts taking place throughout the world. The senseless conflict in Ukraine and the long drawn out wars in Yemen and Syria are but a few examples of man’s inhumanity to man. May those who suffer cruelty from their fellow human beings take strength from knowing that in their suffering the suffering Christ is close to them.

These wars remind us why Christ came: that humanity needs to be redeemed; that left to ourselves our selfishness and our self-interest cause friction and fall-outs, cause violence and war.

We need God to touch our hearts and the hearts of all humanity. We need a heart like Christ’s so that we can imitate Christ in his compassion and forgiveness, in his willingness not to take offence and to turn the other cheek.

Shock

What a shock to see in Mariupol how quickly a peaceful city can be destroyed and reduced to rubble, its citizens under siege and brought to starvation for lack of food. Peace in our world is so often superficial and therefore so easily shattered.

As we meditate this week on the passion of Christ may we pray for the people of Ukraine, Syria, Yemen and elsewhere who are enduring their passion. May we pray for a deep change in the human heart that will overcome our tendency to violence and bring peace to our troubled world.

Cardinal: let’s speak about divisions in the Church

There are serious divisions in the Church and we need to acknowledge them … that is the stark message from Cardinal Mario Grech – the man tasked by Pope Francis, with promoting the upcoming synod.

In a trip to the UK last month, Cardinal Grech spoke frankly about the need for open discussion within the Church. He said we need to recognise the divisions within the Church and seek to overcome them through listening.

“There is a time for silence and a time for words. The two go together: there is not one without the other. A time of silence without a time to speak, as well as a time to speak without a time for silence lead to unpleasant consequences”.

Cardinal Grech spoke powerfully of errors made by the Church in recent years in how it has communicated. “Unfortunately, the Church is not an exception. Often, it has spoken where it should have remained silent. And, often, it remained silent where it should have spoken. I’m not referring here to the Church’s engagement with the external world, although what I am saying is also applicable to this realm.

“Often, the Church could have been more vociferous in its fight for justice, in its defence of the poor, but chose to keep its mouth shut. On the other hand, often the Church should have been more prudent, but chose to speak and speak too much. Sadly, this is all true.

“However, I wish to focus on the Church’s engagement with itself and the different realities that constitute it. I wish to focus on the culture of silence in the Church, on those internal problems about which the Church should have spoken but chose, because it was convenient, to remain silent.

“There are problems, issues, within the Church about which we choose to remain silent rather than speaking. The clearest example which comes to everyone’s mind is the sexual abuse crisis that the Church went through and is still going through.

“Unfortunately this is not the only instance of a problem in the Church about which we choose to remain silent.

“What about the general silence concerning the deep division within the Catholic church? Between conservatives and liberals? Between those who exclusively want the ordinary form [Mass in the post-Vatican II form] and those who want the extraordinary form [the Tridentine Mass]?

“What about the political divisions in the Church? What about the divisions between the local Churches in the global west and the local Churches in the global south? What about the continuous struggle to make the priesthood of the baptised work hand in hand with sacramental priesthood?

“What about the role of women in the Church? How can one explain we have Catholics who want to exclude certain categories from our pews? These are all issues in the Church about which we rarely have a frank and open discussion. These are issues which we all acknowledge to be present but about which we prefer to remain silent.

“…Rather than having an open, frank, discussion, we end up in a Church made up of cliques. Rather than dialogue, we have a culture of us against them. The Church should speak about these issues, but often chooses to remain silent”.

“In the gospel Jesus drives out a demon that was mute. I think that this is a very interesting detail, especially considered in light of what I have already said. The demon prohibits the possessed man from speaking. He forces him to remain silent.

“Silence at a time when speech is needed, is a sign of evil, a sign of the devil. When we choose to remain silent, rather than speak, because it is more convenient, we are collaborating with this evil.”

The cardinal also challenged head on those who criticise the synod.

He said: “Many people have doubts about the synod, many people think that it is a big risk. Many people are wary of the dangers that this process might bring. I understand these preoccupations. But, perhaps, we have not quite understood what the synodal process is all about.

“This is not a process of revolution: the Pope does not want to change the Church into something that it is not. This is not a wiping out of tradition. This is not a process of democratisation. Rather, the synodal process is a time for speech. A time to let the voice of the Church speak and bring forward the issues, the problems that inhabit our synodal Church.

“For a long time, we chose to remain silent, but now it is time to speak. It is time for the local Churches to voice their concerns. It is a time to let the liberal and conservative sides of the Church to speak, frankly and openly, and air their concerns … the synodal process is privileged time and space in which the inner voice of the Church is allowed to speak, a time and space in which the Holy Spirit is allowed to speak, through the different organs of the Church.

“For a long time, we chose to remain silent, now it is time for the polyphony that constitutes the Church to be played…”

Young people will welcome Archbishop to Rome

By Brian Swanson

The first-ever Archdiocesan pilgrimage to Rome exclusively for young Catholics will take place this summer, and by happy co-incidence Archbishop Nolan will be there at the same time to receive his Pallium.

The pallium is a narrow woven vestment worn around the neck as a symbol of his authority by archbishops of metropolitan archdioceses.

Organised by the RCAG Youth Office, and with some places still available, the pilgrimage takes place from Friday June 24 until Wednesday June 29, which is the Feast of St Peter and St Paul, when the Papal Mass involving scores of newly appointed archbishops from all over the world, is due to take place.

Mairi-Claire McGeady from the Youth Office said: “Unfortunately because of our flight timings we will be leaving Rome before the ceremony starts but we are delighted that the Archbishop will be meeting us while we are there.

“When we booked our flights Archbishop Nolan had not even been appointed so meeting him will be a bonus.

“With more than 900 churches across the city hosting the relics of the saints that have gone before us, beautiful statues and frescoes, points of martyrdom and dramatic conversions, the Eternal City is the geographical beating heart of the Universal Church making it a very important place of pilgrimage.

“We know we will inspired by the saints, moved by beauty and transformed through encounters with the living God.”

Led by Canon Gerry Tartaglia, director of the Youth Office, the pilgrimage will also include daily Mass in a variety of Rome’s famous churches, sightseeing tours, and a visit to the Pontifical Scots College.

Mairi-Claire added: “If you’re 18–30 years old and are interested in joining us for this journey together with the Lord, please check out our website for more information and get in touch - places are filling up fast.” 

For more information visit: www.rcagyouth.co.uk