SW News: In response to a request from Ukrainian Bishops, Pope Francis expressed his desire that during the month of October, especially in Marian Shrines, the Rosary be dedicated to peace and reconciliation in Ukraine. The Holy Father said that there is a need for more prayer and an end to the conflict in Ukraine. The request was made during a meeting with the bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, who are attending their annual Synod in Rome. The call was made to set aside October to pray for peace in Ukraine.

Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk welcomed the Pope at the start of the nearly two-hour encounter. He remembered the painful situation in which his country finds itself, with an increasing number of dead, wounded, and tortured people, and who thanked the Pope for the affection shown in so many ways and on so many occasions.

Following Major Archbishop Shevchuk's greeting, the Holy See Press Office said that a number of the present bishops told the Pope about the suffering that the Ukrainian people are experiencing in different places and in different ways.

The Holy Father remembered the example of Jesus during the Passion, who bore witness to the courage to speak the truth, to be close to the people so that they would not be discouraged, and who did not remain a victim of insults, torture, and crucifixion.

This is not simple, the Pope acknowledged. "This is holiness," he said, "and the people want us to be saints and teachers in the way that Jesus taught us."

Following the meeting, Pope Francis revealed to the Bishops that he remembers the Ukrainians every day in his prayer before the icon of the Virgin, which the Major Archbishop had presented to the Pope just before he left Buenos Aires.

The Pope also entrusted the sorrows of Ukraine to the Virgin Mary on the feast of her Nativity on September 8. He urged the faithful to pray for troubled Ukraine. “The liturgical feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary exhorts you to always walk, like Mary, in the ways of the Lord,” he said.