CHRISTIAN WITNESS: REDEMPTORISTS IN UKRAINE:
Since the invasion of Ukraine three years ago we have kept our Redemptorist confrères in that country in our prayers and, indeed, initially gave them considerable financial support. The arrest of two of our priests, Frs Bohdan and Ivan, in November 2022 was a cause of great concern, but, happily, after over eighteen months in prison, they were released on June 28th last year. Pope Francis described last Monday as “a painful and shameful anniversary for all humanity.”
To mark that third anniversary Fr Bohdan took part in an online meeting with the Vatican and, as in my online message this weekend, I will share with you some of that remarkable testimony. He stressed that the motivation that allowed him to endure the pain was to offer it to “save the enemies: I thank God for giving me the opportunity to be there.” He admitted that “it was very difficult in an environment of brutality for the human person, where you have the constant feeling of being in a place of death.” The memory of the horror of it all and of those who could not cope and took their own lives will remain with him for the rest of his life. But he explained that his guard allowed Ivan and himself to pray for a few minutes at the beginning and end of each day, even though this was not officially permitted. The following statement touched me deeply and I think will move you too: “I thank God for giving me the strength to unite these tortures with Christ, with his suffering, with the path of Christ. It is in this weakness that He gives strength. There I perceived the prayer of the Church, the Church in all its dimensions. I cannot explain it… In reality, this is the answer to the question of what helped me to resist. It is very simple: God.”
If you would like to read the full transcript of the interview with F Bohdan Heleta visit
https://www.cssr.news/2025/02/ukraine-father-heleta-there-i-perceived-the-prayer-of-the-church/
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To read the interview visit https://www.cssr.news/2025/02/ukraine-father-heleta-there-i-perceived-the-prayer-of-the-church/
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