Russia Archives

Pope offers pat-on-the-back for Ukrainian, Russian prisoner exchange

Vatican
Sep 15, 2019

On Sunday Pope Francis gave a shout-out to Ukraine and Russia for the recent exchange of 70 prisoners, voicing not only his happiness for those set free, but his hope that the gesture would help bring an end to the ongoing conflict between the two nations.

Marriage doesn’t solve the priest shortage, says head of Ukrainian Rite

Vatican
Sep 12, 2019

The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church has urged those considering allowing priests in the Latin rite to marry in order to help solve a crippling vocation crisis to proceed with caution, saying marriage has not curbed shortages in his own rite.

Archbishop mounts pressure for papal visit to Ukraine, says Moscow getting in the way

Church in Europe, Vatican
Sep 5, 2019

Bishop Borys Gudziak, one of nearly 50 Ukrainian Greek Catholic bishops in Rome this week, has said he and his fellow prelates are pushing harder than ever for a papal visit to Ukraine – a trip he said is crucial to ending conflict in the country, but which is being held up by fear of potential reprisal from Russia.

After 6 years, family of kidnapped Jesuit is ‘in limbo’

Church in the Middle East
Jul 30, 2019

Relatives of a Jesuit priest who was kidnapped in Syria six years ago say they have been living in a “limbo” with no information of his whereabouts.

Pope voices ‘deep concern’ to Syria’s Assad over airstrikes

News Analysis
Jul 22, 2019

The Vatican said Monday a new letter to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad “expresses the deep concern of His Holiness Pope Francis for the humanitarian situation in Syria, with particular reference to the dramatic consequences facing the civilian population in Idlib.”

If Pope Francis visits Ukraine, the war would stop, archbishop says

Church in Europe
Jul 8, 2019

Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, has said that if Pope Francis were to visit Ukraine, the conflict tearing its eastern regions apart would come to an end.