On the day Russian troops entered two rebel-held regions in eastern Ukraine, Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski recorded a short message for the Catholic community in England and Wales thanking them for their solidarity and calling for prayer and support.
The Ukrainian Catholic Bishop of the Holy Family of London stressed the need for calm and de-escalation.
“I ask you to continue to hold Ukraine in your prayers so that no more families have to mourn the loss of their sons and daughters in this war, both from the Ukrainian side and, of course, from the Russian side as well.”
Hello. This is Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski. I’m the Ukrainian Catholic Bishop of the Holy Family of London.
Today I’m speaking to you again, asking and thanking you all for your prayers for peace in Ukraine, as echoed by Pope Francis and also Patriarch Sviatoslav, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in the world. We are seeing the escalation of war that has been waged for the last eight years in Ukraine, and we need prayers, we need calm and we need support.
I know that the Ukrainian community here in Great Britain is very appreciative of that solidarity. And as we communicate this solidarity to our brothers and sisters in Ukraine, who are, of course, very concerned and worried at this time, it’s much appreciated.
So I ask you to continue to hold Ukraine in your prayers so that no more families have to mourn the loss of their sons and daughters in this war, both from the Ukrainian side and, of course, from the Russian side as well.
Thank you again, and may God bless all of you.
