The Pope’s announcement at St Peter’s on 3 April that he is calling for a collection on behalf of the long suffering land and people of Ukraine was a significant gesture. On 24 April, all Catholic parishes in Europe will raise money for a country that since the Russian invasion and annexation of Crimea in 2014 has lived through the trauma of war. As many as 1.7 million Ukrainians are refugees in their own country. Many others are trapped behind the so-called Line of Control that still divides the separatist, Russian-controlled areas of the east from the rest of the country. Pope Francis spoke of “lands devastated by hostilities”, and especially of those who suffer most, “the elderly and the children”.
The Pope’s ambassador – or Nuncio – in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, has already seen some of that for himself. Over Easter, he was able to cross the Line of Control, something that few diplomat in Kyiv can do, to celebrate Mass in the one remaining Catholic church in Donetsk, a city that has been at the heart of much of the fighting. Religious faith is important in Ukraine. Many local religious leaders, like the Greek Catholic Major Archbishop, Sviatoslav Shevchuk (who is close to Pope Francis having once served as a bishop in Argentina), have been determined not to allow political division to damage their efforts to reach out to the different religious communities that make up the country. I have learned how Muslim Tatar families, exiled from their Crimean homeland, have been welcomed warmly by Christian parishes in Western Ukraine, far from home but sharing a common cause. And how Orthodox and Catholic communities have come together to reject outside efforts to divide them.
Let us hope that Europe’s 120,000 Catholic parishes will give generously. Ukraine has a right to make its own decisions on its future, without fear of invasion from its neighbour. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is meant to turn the clock back to the days of direct control from Moscow. And yet what is clear is that the next generation of Ukrainians is already going about the business of changing their country for the better. They are the real hope for Ukraine, as a fascinating series of #NextGenUA videos shows. While Pope Francis calls for “peace and respect for law in this sorely tested land”, the young people of Ukraine are already responding, forging a more prosperous and brighter future. They deserve our solidarity.