February 27, 2023 / 7:53 a.m.
On the occasion of the first anniversary of the war in Ukraine, Pope Francis participated in the projection of a documentary on the conflict, which took place in the New Hall of the Vatican Synod.
On Friday, February 24, day that marked one year of the war in Ukrainethe Holy Father watched with 240 guests the documentary “Freedom on Fire. Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom” (Freedom on fire. Ukraine’s struggle for freedom).
Among those present were some people in need, refugees and members of the Ukrainian community in Rome, who were invited by the Russian director of the documentary, Evgeny Afineevsky.
At the end of the projection, Pope Francis he addressed a few words to those present and prayed with themasking the Lord to heal the hearts, minds and eyes of men, so that they “see the beauty that you have made and do not destroy it”.
“The Spirit of War destroys. It doesn’t let it grow, it destroys. Men, women, the elderly, children, everyone”, lamented Pope Francis.
In this line, the Pontiff asked to pray for Ukraine and open “our hearts to pain.”
“Let us not be ashamed of suffering, of crying. War is destruction and always diminishes us. May God make us understand this”, urged the Holy Father.
In addition, through his official Twitter profile, the Pope referred to this conflict as an “absurd war.”
This documentary shows the reality of the war and the courage of the Ukrainian people, who have shown a great capacity to unite as a people and defend the sovereignty of their country.
The film also tells personal stories of civilians, children, soldiers, journalists, religious leaders and volunteers whose lives have been turned upside down.