VATICAN NEWS
“Nothing is impossible for God,” are the words contained in a Vatican communiqué, which states that the Holy See and the Pope join the UN appeal for a truce in view of Easter, which, according to the Julian calendar, is celebrated on 24 April next.
The request was promoted by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, in agreement with His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, and was launched on 19 April.
On Palm Sunday, Pope Francis had called for an Easter truce to achieve peace saying, “Put the weapons down. Let an Easter truce start. But not to rearm and resume combat but a truce to reach peace through real negotiations open to some sacrifices for the good of the people.”
Today’s text invokes the Lord’s protection so that “the population trapped in war zones may be evacuated and peace may soon be re-established”; it also asks “those in charge of the nations to listen to the people’s cry for peace”.