“We came here to touch the wounds of war”: delegation of bishops and laity of the Australian Catholic Church visits Ukraine
From August 8 to 11, a delegation of bishops and laity of the Australian Catholic Church is visiting Ukraine on behalf of the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference. Its primary purpose is to express the solidarity of the Australian Catholic Church and all Australians with the Ukrainian people fighting against the Russian aggressor.
In Lviv, the hierarchs met with Mayor Andriy Sadovyi, visited the Nezlamni (“The Unbreakable”) rehabilitation center, and talked to wounded soldiers, civilians, war refugees, and families of soldiers who died in the war.
The bishops also took part in the funeral of soldier Rostyslav Rudenko, which took place in the Garrison Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Lviv.
During the funeral, Bishop Peter Andrew Comensoli, Archbishop of Melbourne, addressed the congregation.
“We are here to touch the wounds left by the war with you. We want to be with you in these difficult and tragic moments in the history of your people while the war unleashed by Russia continues. We have traveled thousands of kilometers, flying over 22 hours to be with you. The Catholic Church in Australia and other churches pray for peace in Ukraine. When we return home, we will make sure to tell others about the war in Ukraine and the courageous Ukrainian people who are fighting,” the archbishop said.
The Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference supports the Wise Cause project of the Patriarchal Curia of the UGCC in preparing food packages for people from the war zone and war refugees. Thousands of such kits have been assembled and distributed over this time.
The UGCC Department for InformationPhoto: Roman Baluk
