Pope's press secretary Federico Lombardi: "Holy Father joyfully awaits the Ad limina visit of the Ukrainian Episcopate"

Pope's press secretary father Federico Lombardi responded to some voices of anxiety among Greek Catholics after Pope’s words on Wednesday 4 February, when Francis addressed the war in Ukraine.

“Faced with differing interpretations of the Pope’s words, especially those of Wednesday 4 February, I consider it useful to specify that he has always wished to address all the interested parties, trusting in the sincere efforts of each one to implement agreements reached by common consent and invoking the principle of international law, to which the Holy See has referred several times since the beginning of the crisis. As St. John Paul II often repeated, humanity must find the courage to substitute the right to force with the power of law”, noted Lombardi.

He also stressed that Holy Father joyfully awaits the Ad limina visit of the Ukrainian Episcopate, scheduled for the days 16-21 February. This will constitute a further occasion to meet those brother Bishops, to be directly informed on the situation of that dear country, to console the Church and those who suffer and to evaluate together paths for reconciliation and peace.