Pope Francis has renewed his appeal for the entire Catholic Church to dedicate Ash Wednesday as a day of prayer and fasting for peace in Ukraine.

In his Sunday Angelus, the Pontiff called upon the war parties to turn away from the “diabolical and perverse logic of weapons”.

“Many times we have prayed that this road would not be taken,” the Holy Father said. “Ordinary people are the real victims who pay for the follies of war with their own skin.”

The Pope renewed his invitation for all Catholics to pray and fast for peace on Ash Wednesday, which this year falls on March 2.

“It is a day to be close to the suffering of the Ukrainian people, to be aware that we are all brothers and sisters, and to implore God for an end to the war,” said Francis.

Besides Good Friday, the first day of Lent is the one day in the year when fasting and abstinence is compulsory.

This time Francis wants Catholics to offer their sufferings to end the war in Ukraine following the invasion by Russia last week and the prospect of the conflict escalating into a global war involving nuclear powers.

He prayed for the victims of the conflict and appealed for the opening of humanitarian corridors to welcome “with an aching heart” refugees seeking to escape the fighting. He also implored world leaders to find swift political resolutions to the crisis.

The Pope said: “Those who wage war forget humanity: they do not start from the people; they do not look at the concrete life of the people, but put partisan interests and power in front of everything.

“They rely on the diabolic and perverse logic of weapons which is the most distant from the will of God, and they distance themselves from the common people who want peace.”

The Pope added that he was thinking especially “of the elderly, of those who are seeking refuge at this time, of mothers fleeing with their children”.

“I repeat: may weapons be silenced,” he said. God is with the peacemakers, not with those who use violence.”

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminster and president of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, on Sunday celebrated Mass in Westminster Cathedral, London, for peace in Ukraine.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, President of the Bishops’ Conference, has called for an immediate cessation of the Russian attacks in Ukraine and for the protection of innocent civilians.

The cardinal said: “I appeal for all to pray for the people of Ukraine, who are suffering the brunt of this conflict. I pray for their strength and perseverance under this onslaught.

“The international community must unite in seeking an end to this conflict through peaceful means, including dialogue and negotiation, as the only way forward.

“It is their responsibility to ensure that international law and territorial sovereignty are respected. We must also keep in mind the plight of those who will become refugees as a result of this attack and the humanitarian crisis that will inevitably follow.

“In this precarious moment for the people of Ukraine and further across Europe, I pray for the victims of this conflict and their families.”

Archbishop John Wilson of Southwark, also expressed his solidarity with the people of Ukraine, describing the invasion as “an outrage before God and all right-thinking nations and peoples”.

“We stand in solidarity with Ukraine and unite in responding to the call of Pope Francis for a day of prayer and fasting this coming Ash Wednesday,” he said.

“We will fall on our knees before Christ, the Prince of Peace, praying for an end to this act of warfare.”

Archbishop Wilson on Sunday preached at the Divine Liturgy at the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family in Mayfair, central London.

In his homily, he said: “I am British by birth, but like so many people across the globe I have become Ukrainian in spirit.”

He said: “Unwarranted oppression casts its dark shadow across your country and our continent; and we weep. We weep before God who demands that war must cease. We weep before God who demands this war in Ukraine must end. We weep before God for all those who have already lost their lives.”

Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, visited the same cathedral later in the day to take part in an evening service of prayer.

He was introduced by Eparch (Bishop) Kenneth Nowakowski and delivered a message of solidarity to the congregation, saying that Britain would help Ukraine in the spirit of the Good Samaritan.

Mr Johnson said he had never seen “so clear a distinction between good and evil”, adding that Britain would have a duty to help Ukraine in any way it could.

(Photo: © Mazur/cbcew.org.uk)

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