Pope Francis has called the city of Mariupol a martyred city/ and spoken of other Ukrainian cites as having been turned into cemeteries./ We pray with him/ for this massacre to end swiftly./ We pray to the Lord.
More than three million people,/ mostly women and children/ have fled Ukraine./ We ask blessings for the many who are assisting the displaced in other European countries./ We pray for those who were vulnerable even before the invasion began:/ the disabled, the elderly, the poor, the homeless, the sick./ We pray to the Lord.
We pray for our poor planet and the ecological disaster which every war brings about./ For the healing of our abused earth./ For those who work to save the living things:/ the air,/ water,/ forests,/ fields, animals./ We pray to the Lord.
Propaganda dulls hearts and fosters division and hatred./ We pray for those who spread lies./ We pray for those who bravely tell the truth,/ risking imprisonment./ We pray to the Lord.
We pray for ourselves and our families and parishes./ May we not become cynical complainers/ May we be patient and accepting of inconveniences./ We ask to be shown how we can help where there is suffering,/ tears and pain./ We pray to the Lord.
For the thousands who have been injured since the start of the Ukrainian invasion,/ and for those who have died./ In some cities there is no one left to bury the dead./ For the millions who are worried about the fate of loved ones./ We pray to the Lord.
