Vatican Secretary of the State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Presided over Mass for Peace in Ukraine in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore

 Vatican Secretary of the State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, presided over Mass for peace in Ukraine in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. 
The war on Ukraine by Russia began in February. 
Present at the Mass were ambassadors and representatives from more than 60 countries to commemorate 30 years of diplomatic relations between Ukraine and the Holy See.  
Cardinal Parolin prayed for those suffering and for an end to the war. "There is no situation so compromised that the Spirit of God cannot resurrect," he explained. 
The Cardinal prayed to the Lord "to pour out His Spirit to free humanity from the scourge of armed strife," saying that, "God, in fact, wants everyone to live in harmony, not annihilating each other, but helping each other to grow." The divine desire, he said, is for "an authentic human fraternity." 
In his homily, Cardinal Parolin said, Jesus, "challenges every man with shocking questions: He invites us to turn the other cheek." "These are words that lacerate the heart of those who are victims of injustice, they may be shocking," he recognized, "but they should not be interpreted as an invitation from the Lord to bend to injustice." "In fact," the Secretary of State continued, "He does not demand unjust things," but requests our willingness to cooperate in breaking the cycle of violence. 
"If it is legitimate to defend ourselves from those who want to overwhelm us, it is even more legitimate to defend ourselves from hatred and vengeance: we cannot allow external evil to end, while evil within us grows." Jesus offers us this example, and assists us, as He asks us, to be "capable of sowing life where others spread death." 
 "There is no situation so compromised that God's Spirit cannot resurrect. Our prayer for peace is rooted here." Pope Francis has been making numerous appeals for peace in Ukraine since the start of the war, and has offered the Holy See's availability to help in every possible way.
Edited from Vatican News 

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