Rome, 25 February, 2022 / 8:45 pm (ACI Africa).
Pope Francis told the leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church on Friday that he would do everything he can to help end the Ukraine conflict.
The pope called Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, who is based in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, in the late afternoon on Feb. 25, according to the Secretariat of the Major Archbishop in Rome.
“During the phone call, Pope Francis was concerned about the situation in the city of Kyiv and in general throughout Ukraine. Pope Francis told His Beatitude: ‘I will do everything I can,’” the secretariat said.
Shevchuk had been due to travel to the Italian city of Florence to take part in a meeting of bishops from countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. But after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, the major archbishop canceled the trip to remain with his flock.
As Russian soldiers advanced on Kyiv, Shevchuk took cover with others in an air-raid shelter under the Cathedral of the Resurrection in Kyiv, reported the website Il Sismografo.
