In the personal room of Pope Francis Francis there is a "prayer card" from Ukrainian children with a prayer for peace; During a recent pilgrimage to the Portuguese city of Fatima, Francis "in his heart drove and Ukraine".
This was told by the Apostolic Nuncio in Ukraine (Vatican ambassador) Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti.
In an interview with the Ukrainian service of Radio Vatican, after a personal meeting with the pontiff, he reported that Pope Francis in his room has a statue of the sleeping St. Joseph. Before her lie cards with prayer intentions from around the world. Among them - and a card from Ukrainian children with prayers for peace.
"I will put a card with the prayers of children under the statue of St. Joseph, that he would pray for them even when I sleep," - the archbishop of the words of Pope Francis. In this context, the Vatican ambassador, who has repeatedly visited the "gray zone" in eastern Ukraine, stressed that children in the war zone are experiencing a "terrible experience" that they will surely remember for life. "They already carry on their tiny shoulders three years of continuous bombing and the life of the wanderers, undergoing constant military danger".
Claudio Gugerotti also spoke about the special attitude of Pope Francis to Ukraine and Ukrainians during the jubilee pilgrimage to Grushiv village of the Lviv region, which took place on May 14. Details of the event are reported by the press office of the Sambir-Drogobych Eparchy of the UGCC.
"I saw the Holy Father (Pope Francis. - Red. ) Just before his trip to Fatima. And I know that in his heart he went to Fatima and Ukraine. Because there is no better opportunity to pray for Ukraine than how to bring this prayer to the Madonna in Fatima, "said the ambassador.
According to him, the Virgin Mary, who appeared 100 years ago in Portugal, "asked for many prayers, many prayers were taken up and they were heard". "But we also have to raise many prayers, because we have not yet been able to defeat the devil".
According to the archbishop, Ukraine especially needs hope, "because the spring has not come on the whole territory of Ukraine". "There are still territories in Ukraine, where the endless winter. It is there that we cry for the presence of Mary, the mother of hope, "he said..
Ambassador Vatican assured that suffering is not endless.
Turning to the believers, he said: "Whenever there are difficulties, look at the sky and feel that Mary is with you. The mother of your families, the mother of this land, the mother of hope and resurrection ".
As the "Observer" wrote, earlier Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti told about the unique in the history of the Catholic Church of the Vatican's assistance to Ukraine in the amount of 18 million euros.
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