After Referendum Catholics in Crimea Will Feel Fear and Anxiety

Crimean Catholics following the referendum, in which the people expressed their desire to secede from Ukraine and join the Russian Federation, will feel fear and anxiety.

Following the latest events in Crimea, Catholics have found themselves in a difficult situation. Jacek Pyl, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Odesa-Simferopol, in an interview with Sir did not hide his concern: “We need help and spiritual support, we ask for prayers during Lent because we need a miracle, a miracle of peace.”

Asked what he expects from meeting with the pope in the Vatican and the head of the UGCC Patriarch Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the bishop said: “We are waiting for spiritual help. Yesterday in prayer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, we reaffirmed our loyalty to the Pope Francis. We are with him. The pope's prayer for us is very important.” Already more than once, Pope Francis has called for peace and dialogue in Ukraine during his Sunday homily.

Bishop of Odesa-Simferopol Monsignor Bronislaw Bernacki expressed strong concern about escalating tensions in other regions of Ukraine. “The situation is very dangerous, we all hope that Western political forces will stop Putin,” he said.

Jesuits in Ukraine also criticized Russia’s actions. Their superior David Nazar in an interview with the magazine Narod called the developments in Crimea a “completely illegal occupation.”  Father Nazar believes that it’s “not an act of aggression, but a manifestation of fear” from the side of Putin, Korespondent informs.