SW News: In Rome's Marian Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin presided over a special Mass for peace in Ukraine. At the Mass to mark 30 years of diplomatic relations between Ukraine and the Holy See, ambassadors and representatives from more than 60 nations were present. Aleksandr Avdeyev, the Ambassador of Russia to the Holy See, was one of the envoys present during the Mass.

Cardinal Parolin prayed for an end to the war and paid tribute to those who were suffering. No circumstance is too compromised for the Spirit of God to restore, he insisted. Even a desert can be turned into a blooming garden, the prelate claimed.

In his prayer, the Cardinal implored God to "pour out His Spirit to deliver humanity from the scourge of armed conflict," emphasizing that "God, in fact, wants everyone to live in concord, not annihilating one another, but encouraging one another to thrive."

The cardinal explained that "the peace that Jesus teaches us is, in fact, composed of relationships where we serve and help each other, we liberate and grow together so that one exists for the other, one makes the other flourish, rather than enslaving ourselves to battling each other."

According to Cardinal Parolin, "prayer is never worthless, prayer can change the most hopeless situations, and prayer most importantly can change hearts and minds."

In his homily, he said the divine desire is for an authentic human fraternity.

Separately, Bishops of EU nations made an appeal to Russia to halt hostilities and urged all parties to cooperate in finding a solution as the war in Ukraine continued. In light of recent developments in Ukraine and Poland, the bishops made this plea on Wednesday. The statement was released on Thursday.

They also repeated their call to all parties to negotiate ‘serious proposals’ and work towards a solution, which respects international law and the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

The archbishop of Lviv of the Latins Mieczysław Mokrzycki, titular bishop of Bulna and auxiliary of Kharkiv-Zaporizhia, also had an audience with the Pope in the Vatican together with Monsignor Jan Sobiło.

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.