Vatican
City, 14 July 2013 (VIS) – Following Sunday's Angelus, the Pope
commemorated the massacres of Volhynia in June 1943, a tragic episode
during the Second World War in which tens of thousands of people lost
their lives. He said, “I join in prayer with the prelates and
faithful of the Church in Ukraine, gathered in the cathedral of Lutsk
for the Holy Mass of the souls of the deceased on the seventieth
anniversary of the massacres at Volhynia. Those actions, provoked by
nationalist ideology in the tragic context of the Second World War,
claimed tens of thousands of victims and damaged the fraternity
between the two peoples, the Polish and the Ukrainian. I entrust to
the mercy of God the souls of the victims and, for their people, I
ask the grace of profound reconciliation and of a peaceful future in
hope and in sincere collaboration in building together the Kingdom of
God”.
He
went on to thank the pastors and faithful participating in the
pilgrimage of the family of Radio Maria to Jasna Gora, Czestochowa,
Poland, and greeted the faithful of the Diocese of Albano, invoking
the protection of their patron St. Bonaventure, whose feast is
celebrated on 15 July. “May tomorrow's feast be beautiful, and many
best wishes! I'd like to send you a cake... but I don't think they
can make one big enough!” he joked.
The
Holy Father finally addressed the young deaf people who were present
in Rome for an international meeting, the religious sisters of St.
Elizabeth and the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, as well as
the Daughters of Divine Charity, holding their general chapter, and
the superiors of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment