War in Ukraine

Russia's latest blockage of Western religious websites and social media accounts tightens the Kremlin's chokehold on Russian residents' information access, the editor of a Ukrainian religious news outlet told OSV News.

Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Bologna, Pope Francis' envoy for peace in Ukraine, returned to Moscow in mid-October for meetings with Russian government officials and leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Pope Francis and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met for the third time since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, focusing their discussion on the repatriation of Ukrainian nationals held in Russian captivity.

Servicemen, veterans and others gathered Thursday in Kyiv to remember the adopted son of Ukraine’s chief rabbi, Moshe Azman, who was killed in battle, in a funeral service underlining unity among Ukraine's diverse communities in the fight against Russia's invasion.

A Ukrainian Catholic University student and all but one member of her immediate family were among those killed in a Sept. 4 strike by Russia on the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.

"In thinking about the laws recently adopted in Ukraine, I fear for the freedom of those who pray, because those who truly pray always pray for all," Francis said after his Aug. 25 Angelus. The pope stated that "a person does not commit evil by praying" and urged Ukrainian leaders to "let those who want to pray be allowed to pray in what they consider their Church."

The heroic work and witness of the Eastern churches in some of the world's most conflict-ridden regions was highlighted at the annual Catholic Media Conference held in Atlanta in June.

"We had come to Ukraine to learn about the collective trauma of the nation," writes Peter Daly. "A nighttime taxi ride brought us face to face with one casualty of the war. It was a brief encounter."

I am going because I feel the need to do something, even if small, to help those courageous people survive this unjust war and continue to exist as a nation, writes Fr. Peter Daly.

Francis, the comic strip: Waiting for any takers to wage peace.

Ukrainian and allied officials Sunday criticized Pope Francis for saying that Kyiv should have the “courage” to negotiate an end to the war with Russia, a statement many interpreted as a call for Ukraine to surrender.

Pope Francis said in an interview that Ukraine, facing a possible defeat, should have the courage to negotiate an end to the war with Russia and not be ashamed to sit at the same table to carry out peace talks. 

On Feb. 20, the Ukrainian Catholic bishops of the U.S. announced that their Metropolia Humanitarian Aid Fund has been restructured as the "Healing of Wounds of the War in Ukraine Fund." 

Metropolitan Archbishop Borys Gudziak warns that failing to support Ukraine as Russia's war machine relentlessly presses its attack will have a vast impact on religious freedom in the region as well as on global security.

This coming Saturday, Feb. 24, marks the second anniversary of Russia's second invasion of Ukraine in this century.

Mounting evidence of Russia's mass deportation of Ukrainian children is stoking outrage, not least in Ukraine's Catholic Church. "Alongside the occupation, repression and injustice, this has inflicted yet another painful wound," one bishop told NCR.

If Russian President Vladimir Putin prevails in his invasion of Ukraine, religious freedom in the country would be curtailed, Ukrainian faith leaders said at a recent event at the United States Institute of Peace.

How many emaciated children are Vladimir Putin and Russia prepared to sacrifice in their maddeningly immoral war? And how long is the rest of humanity prepared to let them get away with it?

Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, who said Pope Francis tapped him not to mediate but to encourage dialogue that could end Russia's war on Ukraine, flew to China Sept. 12, Italian media reported.

As fighting in Ukraine continues, Christians on both sides should be asking ethical questions. Fr. Peter Daly considers whether Ukraine's defense against Russian invasion meets the just war criteria.

Pope Francis was visibly moved during a meeting of interfaith leaders at World Youth Day on Aug. 4, when a Russian Orthodox bishop thanked the pontiff for his efforts on behalf of Ukrainians, says a priest attendee.

Weeks after Pope Francis sent Cardinal Matteo Zuppi as a peace envoy to Moscow, Ukrainians express doubt about the Vatican's attempts to settle a conflict whose outcome looks set to be decided on the battlefield.

President Joe Biden's recent decision to send Ukraine cluster bombs has begun to erode the moral high ground for U.S. involvement in the conflict with Russia, writes former NCR editor Tom Roberts.

Few have done more to prevent a nuclear catastrophe in Ukraine than Rafael Mariano Grossi. For over a year, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency has worked to protect the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

In western Ukraine, a military hospital's rural campus offers some four-plus miles of walking trails; when soldiers struggle to rest at night, they're given the chance to temporarily encamp with a neighboring army: bees.

Pope Francis is not cheering on either side in the Russia-Ukraine war, which is an essential quality needed in a mediator.

Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Pope Francis' personal emissary tapped to lead the Vatican's peacemaking efforts between Ukraine and Russia, will be in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv from June 5-6.

A recent video that has gained traction on social media purportedly shows a McDonald's in Kiev bustling with people, prompting some to argue that perhaps the conflict is not as grim as the media and the country's government has reported.

View from the Vatican: The Sant'Egidio community has been instrumental in high-profile peacemaking efforts. Now its ties to the Russian Orthodox Church may assist Cardinal Matteo Zuppi as he heads to Kyiv and Moscow.

An ethicist who supports nonviolence nonetheless finds practical and conceptual challenges when it is applied to the war in Ukraine.

When Fr. Peter Daly visited church programs serving Ukrainian refugees in Poland earlier this spring, he witnessed charity and mercy in action.

Francis, the comic strip: What is the Vatican's secret plan to bring peace to Ukraine?

Pope Francis met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Vatican on May 13.

Ukrainian church leaders have cautiously welcomed news of a Vatican visit by their country's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after a fresh wave of Russian missile attacks in anticipation of a counteroffensive by Kyiv's forces.

Francis, the comic strip: Brother Leo reads the news from Russia.

Russia's seizure of Europe's largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine has undermined global nuclear security, while serving as a "wake-up call" to ending energy dependence on Russia, said experts at a recent panel discussion hosted by Manor College in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, a Catholic college.

During a recent trip to Ukraine and Poland, David Bonior witnessed the pride and resolve as the war moves into its second year.

Pope Francis has offered his support for the World Council of Churches' proposal for an in-person, roundtable summit of divided Russian and Ukrainian Orthodox church leaders, the Rev. Jerry Pillay tells NCR.

View from the Vatican: On Feb. 24, the day of the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, several embassies to the Vatican underscored their support for Ukraine by flying its flag alongside their own.

As the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine approaches, columnist Michael Sean Winters surveys the human suffering and prays for peace in a land long besieged by Russia.

Francis, the comic strip: The pope waits for a conversation.

Aid organizations warn that increasing attacks by Russian missiles are preventing supply access to Ukraine, after strike in Dnipro killed 44 civilians and after a Catholic volunteer lost a leg delivering food in Bakhmut.

Four refugee women from different parts of Ukraine thrown together by the sad fate of war say they are ending a turbulent year safe, secure and calm — though still uneasily in exile. They spoke to NCR in Warsaw.

In Michael Sean Winters' last links column, he rounds up the latest news. In the new year, look for a weekly newsletter that does much of the same.

Be it among refugees in Poland or those who remain in Ukraine, there is widely shared determination that however long is necessary, the country is willing to continue battling Russia to defend its territorial integrity.

The National Review's column on the 60th anniversary of Vatican II is worse than Ross Douthat's, says columnist Michael Sean Winters.

Capuchin and Conventual Franciscan friars joined with Secular Franciscans to help Ukrainian refugees struggling with the social and psychological wounds of war by using performing arts exercises.

Francis, the comic strip: Putin's threats are serious. What will Francis do to stop a nuclear war?

Francis, the comic strip: Worried about nuclear confrontation, Francis talks with an expert.

With "rivers of blood and tears" still flowing in Ukraine and with the increasing threat of the use of nuclear weapons, Pope Francis begged Russian President Vladimir Putin: "Stop this spiral of violence and death."

Listen: Heidi, Father Daniel, and David look at Catholic governors who use migrants as political pawns; synthesis reports from the synod; and recent developments and long-term effects in the war in Ukraine.

Francis, the comic strip: "Ouch!" Somebody didn't sleep too well.

The Washington Post reports on the collapse of Russia's military in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine. It is stunning, writes Michael Sean Winters, and shows how stretched the entire Russian war effort is.

Francis, the comic strip: Francis still hopes to meet with Patriarch Kirill — maybe the most crucial meeting of his papacy!

Many of Ukraine's Catholics remain "upbeat and determined" despite fears of intensified Russian attacks on Ukraine's Independence Day, said a senior priest, who added that parish life was also continuing under tight surveillance in occupied areas.

Marking the six-month anniversary of the start of Russia's war against Ukraine, Pope Francis renewed his appeal for prayers for an end to "the horror of war."

The war in Ukraine is no longer leading the nightly news, but the people of Ukraine are still fighting for the values that put the light into Enlightenment, and they deserve all the help we can muster.

While the Vatican hopes for a diplomatic resolution, Catholic leaders cater to Ukrainian faithful on the ground.

Commentary: During Russia's terrible war on Ukraine, it has become clear that one strain of so-called "realist" thought in international relations — "offensive realism" theory — is an obstacle to human progress.

The deep acrimonies surrounding the conflict in Ukraine have raised questions about interfaith ties with the Vatican and in the World Council of Churches, as well as about the realistic chances of religious mediation.

Meeting with a delegation from the Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople June 30, the pope said that as war continues to rage in Ukraine, it is a time not for "talking and discussing, but for weeping, for helping others and for experiencing conversion ourselves."

Commentary: We need an all-out mobilization to build renewable energy in Europe and around the world, and it starts by divesting from fossil fuels. This will help us end the war in my country and rebuild Ukraine from the war ashes.

Michael Sean Winters: Other news items have pushed the war in Ukraine off the front page, but that should not lead Western nations to push Ukraine into a negotiated peace that would not meet the challenge posed by Putin.

Marking the 100th day of Russia's war against Ukraine, Pope Francis again called for international efforts to stop the aggression, respect human life and end "the macabre destruction of cities and villages" in the country.

Pope Francis on June 5 appealed to world leaders to start "real negotiations" to end to the war on Ukraine and avoid bringing the world to ruin.

When a group of Polish archbishops paid a "solidarity visit" to Ukraine in late May, their presence also highlighted the key role played by Polish Catholic clergy in sustaining Ukrainian religious life.

Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, has been removed from the latest round of European Union sanctions to punish Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The Vatican said May 31 that Pope Francis will travel to Kazakhstan in September for an interfaith conference, a meeting that may give him a chance to meet with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.

In addressing the violence of Russia's war against Ukraine, the pope is trying to shift our gaze. It is a shift that Jesus models, toward pastoral accompaniment and a focus on how we might break the violent dynamic.

Commentary: As Catholics, Christians, Muslims and Jews, we are taught to take action and not wring our hands. In Ukraine and now beyond its borders there are millions in need of our love, compassion and our resources.

"I know that the rest of the world, when they hope for one person to solve this problem, they look at the pope," Joseph Donnelly told NCR May 16, in his first interview with a U.S. news agency since his arrival in Rome.

An existing relationship between Notre Dame and the Ukrainian Catholic University set the stage for my rich reflection on the impact of Russian propaganda on media, civil resistance, the future of East European studies and other topics.

Commentary: The only way to end the manipulation of the Vatican's position by the Russian state and Russian Orthodox Church media is to stop producing actions and statements that can be interpreted to feed Russian propaganda.

Pope Francis said he has asked for a meeting in Moscow to help bring about an end to the war and warned that Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, a key backer of President Vladimir Putin's fight against Ukraine, should not become Putin's "altar boy." 

A professor at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul turned to an iconography project with the mission to expose the ongoing tragedy of war in Ukraine and to raise funds for a voluntary mobile hospital.

Thomas Reese: Ukraine deserves our attention, but it is one of many connected crises around the world. We won't have stopped it until we stop ignoring the rest.

The planned second meeting between Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill has been canceled out of concern it could cause "confusion," and there will be no papal visit to Kyiv while war rages, Francis said in an interview with the Argentine daily newspaper La Nación April 21.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on April 21 as the war in Ukraine and the millions of refugees it has created cast a shadow over two leaders who have long sought closer ties with Russia.

Pope Francis and the Vatican are urging world leaders to listen to the people's cry for peace, and they have backed an appeal by the head of the United Nations for an Easter truce in Ukraine.

Francis, the comic strip: Francis has the Patriarch Kirill dream again.

A Ukrainian Marine in the besieged city of Mariupol has written to Pope Francis pleading for the pontiff to personally intervene on the city's behalf, as Russian forces continue their devastating, weeks-long siege on the strategic port on the Sea of Azov.

Pope Francis used his Easter message to again appeal for peace in Ukraine, saying the country has been "dragged" into a "cruel and senseless war" and that if the conflict escalates, it could lead to the destruction of all of humanity. 

Perspective: My Good Friday experience came early this year. I can pinpoint it to the day in early March when, during an assignment covering the Ukrainian refugee crisis in Poland, I visited Auschwitz-Birkenau.

To wage war, which marks a failure of politics and humanity, is to surrender to the forces of evil, Pope Francis wrote in a new book.

European Catholic and Protestant leaders echoed Pope Francis' appeal for an Easter cease-fire in Ukraine, and they asked Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow to support it.

Jesus brings peace to today's shattered world through meekness and not through an "armed peace" that seeks to subjugate others, Pope Francis said.

In Russia's war on Ukraine, "the forces of evil" are clearly at work, leading to "abominable" attacks on innocent people and widescale destruction of their homes, Pope Francis said.

The head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church asked Pope Francis to scrap plans to have a Ukrainian woman and a Russian woman carry the cross together during the pope's Way of the Cross service at Rome's Colosseum April 15.

While the Vatican confirmed Pope Francis' hope to travel to Kazakhstan this year, it did not confirm a news story that Francis could meet Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow in Jerusalem in June.

Russian forces in Ukraine attacked a Caritas office in Mariupol and a Catholic seminary in a small village north of Kyiv, prompting renewed calls for an end to the war and to the targeting of innocent civilians.

Francis, the comic strip: Pope Francis hopes to go to Ukraine. How can he get there?

The Eastern-rite Catholic bishops of the U.S., meeting recently at the Maronite Catholic Pastoral Center in St. Louis, expressed concern for the plight of Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russia's ongoing war.

Russia's war on Ukraine frighteningly raises the possibility of the use of nuclear weapons, the unleashing of radioactive material from nuclear power plants and a new push to develop or acquire nuclear weapons, including by terrorists, said members of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.

Pope Francis opened Holy Week on April 10 with a call for an Easter truce in Ukraine to make room for a negotiated peace, highlighting the need for leaders to "make some sacrifices for the good of the people."

Holy Week is a time when the Christian community shares Christ's pain on the cross, his betrayal and abandonment. Christ is being crucified again in Ukraine.

Michael Sean Winters: We believe that God is all-loving and all-powerful, but where was that love and that power this past month when they were needed in Ukraine?

Pope Francis once again pleaded for an end to the bloodshed and violence in Ukraine after images of innocent civilians apparently executed in Bucha sparked outrage and horror around the world.

Ukrainian Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv-Halych said disturbing images from Ukraine after Russian retreat are evidence that "the struggle of Ukraine is a spiritual struggle against evil."

As Russia's violent monthlong invasion continued to devastate Ukraine, Pope Francis laid the fates of both countries at the feet of Mary in the hopes that peace would finally reign.

Commentary: The nonviolent strategies being used by Ukrainians in many locations are vitally important and illustrate powerful and effective ways to defend their communities and to break the cycles of violence.

It's easy to complain about the "institutional church." But the speedy and generous response to the crisis in Ukraine shows the value of our ecclesial institutions in coming to the aid of desperate people.

Tensions over the Vatican's approach to Ukraine and Russia reveal the complex web of intra-ecclesial politics and influence of the global cast of characters who craft and compose the Holy See's role in the world stage.

Pope Francis spoke for a second time by phone with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on March 22.

Commentary: Fossil fuels have become a weapon of mass destruction, both for war in Ukraine and in the climate crisis. We must believe that we can overcome not only war in Ukraine, but also our dependency on oil, gas and coal.

Pope Francis has asked bishops around the world to join him March 25 to pray for peace and consecrate Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

As Russian assaults on Ukrainian cities continue, the "immense suffering" of Europe's mounting refugee crisis "needs both material and 'a heart response' and a prayer response," says the president of Caritas Ukraine.

Pope Francis on March 16 spoke with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, a backer of Russian President Vladimir Putin's war against Ukraine. According to the Vatican, Francis rejected justifications for the invasion as a "holy war."

The mayor of Ukraine's capital city has appealed to Pope Francis to visit Kyiv, saying his personal presence in the city could be instrumental in securing peace amid Russia's invasion of the country. 

As Russian troops battled Ukrainian forces during the third week of their invasion, the militant stance of Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill seemed to dash hopes of closer ties between his community and the Catholic Church.

The Vatican on March 14 sought to defend itself from criticism that Pope Francis has failed to directly condemn President Vladimir Putin and Russia as aggressors in the war in Ukraine and doubled down on the Vatican's long tradition of maintaining strict neutrality in wartime. 

Joan Chittister: We are all interconnected. When some of us stand up to the bully, we may all be persecuted in the name of God's righteousness. But to do so willingly is the heart of the eighth beatitude.

We say: Whatever is happening behind the scenes, it is time for Pope Francis to speak the truth about the murderous assault on Ukraine. It is time to call things as they are. This is Putin's war and it is evil.

Russia and Ukraine are two of the world's largest wheat-producing countries. Their decreased exports due to war may affect U.S. farmers already struggling from droughts.

It's unclear if the Roman Catholic Church could be a neutral negotiator because of its complicated relationship with Russia's Orthodox Church, which has strong backing from the Russian government.

Michael Sean Winters: With the possibility that the war in Ukraine will become genocidal, and as the pain of economic sanctions hit home, the West's political and moral leaders must recalculate what the war demands of us.

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, leader of Russia's dominant religious group, has sent his strongest signal yet justifying his country's invasion of Ukraine — describing the conflict as part of a struggle against sin and pressure from liberal foreigners to hold "gay parades" as the price of admission to their ranks.

As Russia continues its attack on Ukraine, the Vatican's secretary of state spoke with the country's foreign minister on March 8 to convey "Pope Francis' deep concern about the ongoing war." 

Former Vatican envoy and outspoken papal critic Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò released a letter on March 7 blaming "deep state" forces in the United States, the European Union and NATO for triggering the current war and demonizing Russia.

Pope Francis has yet to publicly condemn Russia by name for its invasion of Ukraine or publicly appeal to the head of the Russian Orthodox Church. Some are not satisfied with the Vatican tradition of quiet diplomacy.

A loose collection of Catholic and other Christian ethicists, scholars and theologians has released a statement condemning Russia's "brutal, wholly unprovoked and unjustified" invasion of Ukraine.

Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv-Halych called the attack on Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant by Russian forces "an irreversible attack on God's creation."

As Ukraine endured its seventh day of Russia's invasion, Cardinal Pietro Parolin marked the start of the Lenten season on March 2 by offering prayers for "those who suffer and flee before the roar of weapons." 

The fascist nonsense in some Catholics' comments about Russia's invasion of Ukraine is viciously unconcerned with justice of any magisterial teaching.

Commentary: The Russian invasion of Ukraine casts a baleful shadow over the world. As death and destruction mount, hope of a negotiated settlement is dimming. But are there historical parallels that still offer hope?

The Vatican is ready to facilitate negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, said Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state.

Pope Francis on Feb. 27 again pleaded for peace, saying "those who make war forget humanity." 

Pope Francis called Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky to express "his deepest sorrow for the tragic events that are taking place in our country."

Philadelphia Metropolitan Archbishop Borys Gudziak stands as a strong U.S. Ukrainian Catholic voice sharing the Eastern European nation's painful history and boosting its potential as a dynamic, democratic state.

For some U.S. prelates, such as Bishop Robert J. Brennan of Brooklyn, New York, the Feb. 24 news of Russia's invasion of Ukraine hit close to home.

Ambassadors to the Holy See, priests, religious and laity packed Rome's Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere to overflowing Feb. 24, pleading to God for peace in Ukraine.

Michael Sean Winters: Russian President Vladimir Putin traffics in morally obscene lies to justify his invasion of Ukraine. Is he likely to be moved by moral concerns at all?

As war broke out in Europe Feb. 24, with Russia's early morning attacks on various parts of Ukraine, Catholics in the U.S. joined Pope Francis in prayers for the people of the East European nation and for peace.

As Russia fired missiles on several Ukrainian cities and Russian troops reportedly landed in Odessa, the head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church affirmed the right of Ukrainians to defend their homeland and assured his people that God would watch over them.

Less than 24-hours after Russia began a full-on invasion of neighboring Ukraine, the Vatican warned of the threat of international destabilization, while maintaining "there is still time for goodwill, there is still room for negotiation."

For weeks Pope Francis has been calling for peace in Ukraine. The Vatican's secretary of state has offered assurances of solidarity with the Ukrainian Catholic Church and the country. But one word has been missing: Russia.

As the threat of war loomed over the world, Pope Francis called on people to pray and fast for peace in Ukraine on Ash Wednesday.

With the "further escalation of tension in Ukraine," the president of the Polish bishops' conference asked Polish Catholics to continue praying for peace, but also to be prepared to welcome Ukrainian refugees.

Meeting leaders of the Eastern Catholic churches -- many from countries at war, facing the threat of war or dealing with the destruction left by war -- Pope Francis said human beings seem to be "attached to wars, and this is tragic."

The Vatican's secretary of state has called the head of the Ukraine's Eastern-rite Catholics to express the closeness of the Holy See at a time of escalating tensions with neighboring Russia. 

As fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine continue to mount, the Ukrainian Catholic bishops of the U.S. have called for a three-day prayer vigil "for peace and the conversion of the hearts of those who preach violence and escalate war."

The major archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Church reiterated concerns of some of his Baltic neighbors, saying that Ukraine might be on the front lines of a Russian threat, but the threat extends beyond Ukraine.