On Wednesday, marking the 1,000th day of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, archbishop of Bologna and president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, offered a mass in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere in Rome and on this occasion asked the end of the war.
vatican city
Rome, Friday, November 22, 2024 (Rei, Vatican Radio): Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, archbishop of Bologna and president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, celebrated on Wednesday, in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere, in Rome, the 1,000 anniversary of the Russian-Ukrainian war he offered mass and called for an end to the war on this occasion.
prayer for the end of the war
The Mass for Peace in Eastern Europe was organized at the initiative of the Ukrainian Embassy to the Holy See, attended by Olena Zelensky, wife of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, who also met with Pope Francis.
After the Mass, Mrs. Zelensky thanked Pope Francis for his calls on behalf of Ukraine and said: “Today we celebrate the thousandth day of humanity confronting violence.” Gratitude to Pope Francis: “I am deeply moved and inspired by your words of support and consolation to the Ukrainian people.”
In his homily at the Mass, Cardinal Zuppi called for an end to the war, saying: “Today we fervently advocate for the end of the war and for a just and lasting peace.” “Peace and justice are one, like two sisters who help, support and protect each other,” he stated.
1000 days of extraordinary brotherhood
Cardinal Zuppi recalled the 1,000 days of war, which began on February 22, 2022: “There have been a thousand days of storm, but also a thousand days of extraordinary and profound fraternity, which has been incredible and which has not only become tiring, but also safer and more urgent.
He drew attention to the fact that “the history of the Ukrainian people in recent decades has been marked by great suffering”, although the Ukrainian people have shown extraordinary strength and resilience during this period.
Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, who traveled to kyiv and Moscow as Pope Francis’ peace envoy, said wars are never events that end quickly; they continue to cause suffering to people for a long time; However, he said, the night longs for the day and pain longs for consolation, revenge for forgiveness, darkness for light, hate for reconciliation and when everything seems darkest the darkest night urges us to believe in the light.
Quoting the words of Pope Benedict XVI, he said that only when the night is darkest does the light of morning come.”
