Bishops’ Council for Justice and Peace prays for Ukraine

Bishop of Raphoe, Alan McGuckian SJ, who is also the chair of the Bishops’ Council for Justice and Peace, has published the following statement asking for prayers for the people of Ukraine:

“We keep the people of Ukraine in our prayers at this time.

"We also hold in prayer all leaders who have a duty to return to the table of peacebuilding in this time of great anxiety and challenge for all of Europe and particularly the peoples of the countries involved.

“This is the first invasion in Europe since 1945.

"Indeed, until a few weeks ago it seemed unthinkable that any country would be invaded by another.

"It makes us realise how much we take peace for granted.”

The Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, Rt Rev Andrew Forster, has commended new prayer resources, ‘Prayers in a Time of War in the Ukraine’, which have been produced by the Church of Ireland’s Liturgical Advisory Committee

“I am sure many of us were distressed on waking up this morning,” Bishop Andrew said, “to learn the news from overnight of Russian forces’ invasion of a sovereign, independent, democratic European country. It is distressing to read reports of deaths in Ukraine and of explosions in some of its largest cities.

“This is an unsettling time. In many ways, we can feel powerless in such a situation. There is one thing, though, that we can all do, and that is turn to God our Father and place our trust in him. The Liturgical Advisory Committee has kindly prepared a number of prayers which I commend to you and encourage you to use.”