The Ukrainian embassy to the Holy See
on Tuesday protested against the Vatican's decision to have the
cross carried by Ukrainian and Russian families together on the
second-last station of the cross at the Via Crucis with Pope
Francis at the Colosseum this Good Friday.
Ambassador Andrii Yurash tweeted: "Ukraine Embassy to Holy See
understands&shares general concern in Ukraine &many other
communities about idea to bring together Ukrainian & Russian
women to carry Cross during Friday's CrossRoad at Collosseum.
Now we are working on the issue trying to explain difficulties
of its realization and possible consequences".
The two families have been entrusted with bearing the cross
which represents the one Jesus carried up to Calvary on the 13th
station of the cross, after which a family of migrants will take
it on the 14th and final stage of its journey around the ancient
Roman monument.
The Via Crucis will start at 21:15 on Friday, Good Friday, the
day marking Jesus's crucifixion, two days before his
resurrection on Easter Sunday.
The 13th Station meditation was penned by the pair of families
who from the current political point-of-view should have nothing
to do with each other: one hails from Ukraine and the other from
Russia, Vatican News said.
Yet, together they have written about the pain of death and
destruction—how life seems to lose meaning and hate gives way to
hopelessness and silence—and together they carry the Cross of
Christ for the Station that marks His own death.
"We wake up in the morning and feel happy for a few moments, but
then we suddenly think how difficult it will be to reconcile
ourselves to all this. Lord where are you? Speak to us amid the
silence of death and division, and teach us to be peacemakers,
brothers and sisters, and to rebuild what bombs tried to
destroy."
Francis has condemned the Ukraine war and a visit by the pope to
Kyiv has been discussed, if it can help achieve peace after the
Russian invasion.
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