Vatican Joins U.N. in Appeal for Easter Truce in Ukraine

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Thomas D. Williams, Ph.D.

ROME — The Vatican announced Thursday that Pope Francis and the Holy See have joined the United Nations in appealing for an Easter truce in Ukraine.

“The Holy See and the Holy Father join in the appeal that Mr. Antonio Guterres, U.N. Secretary General, in agreement with His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Head of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, launched on April 19, for a truce on the occasion of the celebration of Easter according to the Julian calendar, on April 24th,” reads Thursday’s Vatican communiqué.

The Orthodox Church and Greek Catholics follow a slightly different (Julian) liturgical calendar from the one (Gregorian) followed by Latin rite Catholics and most Protestants, which means that the celebration of Easter in Ukraine falls on Sunday April 24.

“In the awareness that nothing is impossible for God, they invoke the Lord so that the population trapped in war zones be evacuated and peace be restored quickly, and they ask those who have the responsibility of nations to listen to the cry for peace of the people,” the Vatican memo concludes.

As Breitbart News reported, Pope Francis had already called for an “Easter Truce” in Russia’s war on Ukraine on April 10, which coincided with the celebration of Palm Sunday.

God “can even bring an end to a war whose end is not in sight, a war that daily places before our eyes heinous massacres and atrocious cruelty committed against defenseless civilians,” the pope said on that occasion.

“Let the weapons be put down! Let the Easter truce begin,” Francis urged.

The truce is “not to provide more weapons and pick up the combat again – no! – a truce that will lead to peace, through real negotiation that is even disposed to some sacrifice for the good of the people,” he said.

“In fact, what victory is there in planting a flag on a pile of rubble?” he asked.

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