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Cardinal Krajewski, the Pope's representative visiting Ukraine, prayed before mass graves in Izium. Pope Francis' almoner travelled to Ukraine for the fourth time since the beginning of the war to bring the Holy Father's closeness and solidarity to the suffering people. According to Vatican News, he was able to pray before the mass graves discovered near the devastated city of Izium that had been occupied by Russian forces..png)
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This was only two days after having been subject to gunfire while delivering humanitarian aid near the city of Zaporizhzhia. Cardinal Konrad Krajewski described the deep grief experience where at least 400 “unmarked” graves have been found just outside the eastern Ukrainian city of Izium.
"There are neither words, nor tears", the Papal almoner said, adding that only prayer can alleviate the heart so burdened by pain.
Cardinal Krajewski recounted how he spent the morning, together with Bishop Pavlo Honcharuk of the Kharkiv-Zaporizhzhia Diocese, in Izium, a locality previously occupied by Russian forces where the remains of some 500 people have been found.
"There we witnessed a 'celebration' - we can say - during which some 50 young men, mostly policemen, firemen, soldiers dressed in white overalls, were digging and carrying away from the graves – many of them common graves - the bodies of Ukrainians who were killed some 3-4 months ago, some of them just recently buried", he said.
“One is dumbfounded by such horror”, the Polish Cardinal continued, saying that even if you know there is war and that “war knows no mercy”, seeing so many dead altogether causes feelings that are very difficult to express.
He said that together with the Bishop they walked among them reciting the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy over and over. They spent at least three hours doing this, and reiterated that it was a “celebration of mercy”, a totally gratuitous gesture.
Cardinal Krajewski is currently in Kiyv from where he departs for Rome after having delivered aid in the Zaporizhzhia area together with two other bishops, one Catholic and one Protestant, accompanied by a Ukrainian soldier.
Source: Edited from Vatican News
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