Papal praise for Italian peace caravan in Ukraine
April 04, 2023
During his Angelus address on Palm Sunday, Pope Francis lent his support to an Italian caravan of peace that is delivering humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
“I extend a special blessing to the Caravan of Peace that, during these days, departed from Italy bound for Ukraine, promoted by a variety of associations: Pope John XXIII, FOCSIV, Pro Civitate Christiana, Pax Christi and others,” the Pope said. “Along with basic necessities, they are bringing the closeness of the people of Italy to the battered people of Ukraine, and today, they are offering olive branches, symbols of the peace of Christ. Let us unite ourselves to this gesture with our prayer, which will be more intense during the days of Holy Week.”
In a follow-up article in L’Osservatore Romano, Fabrizio Floris explained that the 150-person caravan, organized by Stop the War Now, left Padua, Italy, on March 30 with 20 tons of humanitarian aid and 20 generators.
The members of the caravan took part in Palm Sunday Mass in Mykolaiv, a Ukrainian city that was bombed daily for four months. They later met with Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, the apostolic nuncio to Ukraine, who revealed that he was prevented—presumably by Russian forces—from delivering humanitarian aid to the besieged city of Mariupol during the previous March.
“Today there is no hope, dialogue is most difficult,” the nuncio added. “How should we react? What are we going to do? We are not capable of coping with the war, we must stir consciences and cry out to God the Lord to have mercy on us. Our weapon is prayer, as a journey and as a commitment.”
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