Johannesburg, 02 March, 2022 / 9:00 pm (ACI Africa).
Church leaders in South Africa have expressed their “full support” for Pope Francis’ offer to arbitrate for an end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In a Tuesday, March 1 statement addressed to Pope Francis, members of the South African Council of Churches (SACC) pray that the Holy Father be considered “the trusted broker” by both Ukraine and Russia.
“We write to express the full support and encouragement of our churches in South Africa for the divinely inspired and most holy initiative of His Holiness to offer to mediate on an urgent basis, a peace settlement that will guarantee lasting peace between Moscow and Kyiv,” SACC leadership says.
Officials of the organization that includes members of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) say the Holy Father’s offer “is an expression of the nearness of God to human suffering, for indeed violence begets more violence in a spiral that leaves untold suffering and devastation.”
They say Pope Francis' offer to broker a round of talks “is God’s answer to the prayer behind our call in South Africa for a high-level peace initiative to bring about a ceasefire and dialogue, which we believe needs to be undergirded by the spirit of what we refer to in South Africa as ubuntu.”
