Pope Francis read aloud a letter sent to him by a Ukrainian student on the occasion of the 1,000th day of war in the country, in which the student urges: “When you talk about our thousand days of suffering, about our thousand, let us also talk of the love of the days.”
Vatican News
Vatican City, Wednesday, November 20, 2024: The general audience held on Wednesday, November 20, marked the thousandth anniversary of the Ukrainian war. At the end of the general audience, which was also attended by the first lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, wife of President Volodymyr Zelensky, Pope Francis took a moment to reflect on the tragic event, which he described as a “shameful disaster for the entire humanity”. .
The Pope stressed that the magnitude of the tragedy should not prevent us from “supporting the martyred Ukrainian people” and working for peace, so that “we can replace weapons with dialogue and struggle with encounter.”
Letter
The Pope then recalled that, two days earlier, he had received a letter from a Ukrainian university student regarding the thousand-day anniversary. He read the letter aloud:
“Saint Father,
When on Wednesday you remember my country and can speak to the entire world on the thousandth day of this terrible war, I ask you to speak not only of our suffering but also of our faith. Although imperfect, this does not diminish its value, since it paints, with painful brushstrokes, a picture of the risen Christ.
There have been many deaths in my life recently. It is difficult to live in a city where dozens of civilians are killed and injured by missiles and so many tears are seen. I wanted to run away, return like a baby to my mother’s arms, stay silent and remain in love, but I thank God because through this pain I am learning to love even more. Pain is not just a path to anger and despair, if it is based on trust, it is a good teacher of love.
Holy Father, if pain torments you, it means that you love and that is why, when you talk about our pain, when you remember our thousand days of suffering, our thousand days “Let us also talk about love, because only love, faith and hope give real meaning of our wounds.”
