Kyiv ‘concerned’ at Vatican Good Friday gesture with Russia

By: 3 years ago

This photo taken and handout on April 7, 2022 by The Vatican Media shows new Ukrainian ambassador to the Holy See, Andrii Yurash (R) meeting with Pope Francis on the occasion of the presentation of his Credential Letters to the Pope in The Vatican. AFP

VATICAN CITY — Ukraine’s ambassador to the Holy See expressed “concerns” Tuesday over a plan for Russian and Ukrainian women to carry a cross together during a Good Friday ceremony attended by Pope Francis.

The gesture of peace, against a backdrop of Russia’s war in Ukraine, is due to take place during the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) procession at Rome’s Colosseum on Friday evening.

Ambassador Andrii Yurash tweeted that he “understands and shares general concern in Ukraine and many other communities about the idea to bring together Ukrainian and Russian women to carry (the) Cross” on Friday.

🇺🇦Embto🇻🇦understands&shares general concern in🇺🇦&many other communities about idea to bring together🇺🇦 &🇷🇺 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 pic.twitter.com/fIqFeN5TsM

— Andrii Yurash (@AndriiYurash) April 12, 2022

“Now we are working on the issue trying to explain difficulties of its realisation and possible consequences,” he wrote.

Yurash did not respond to requests by AFP to discuss his position, and there was no immediate comment from the Vatican itself.

The women were set to jointly carry the cross during one portion of the Way of the Cross, the traditional procession that commemorates in 14 different stations Jesus’ suffering and death, from his condemnation to his burial.

The ceremony is held on Good Friday, the day of his crucifixion, two days before Easter, the Christian calendar’s most important holiday.

Because of coronavirus in 2020 and 2021, a scaled-down version of the procession was held within St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican.

Jesuit theologian Antonio Spadaro, who is close to Francis, confirmed on Twitter that there had been “objections” to the idea of having Russian and Ukrainians carry the cross together.

“One thing needs to be understood: Francis is a pastor, not a politician,” he wrote.