Pope Francis to Ukrainian youth: 'We must always forgive'

Pope Francis at a meeting with Ukrainian youth. Photo: vaticannews.va

On February 1, 2025, Pope Francis held a video conference with 250 young men and women from Ukraine, who had gathered at the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Kyiv, a Greek Catholic church.

During the conversation, participants asked the Pope questions about faith, peace, and forgiveness. Responding to a question about maintaining faith amid suffering, he emphasized: "Nostalgia for one’s homeland is a strength. Ukrainians abroad, please, do not lose your longing for your country. Sometimes nostalgia is painful, but it keeps us moving forward."

The head of the Roman Catholic Church condemned the destructive power of war and stressed that dialogue remains the only antidote: "War always destroys. The remedy is dialogue: always, among ourselves, even with those who oppose us. Please, never grow tired of dialogue. Peace is built through dialogue. It is true that sometimes dialogue is impossible due to the stubbornness of some, but we must always make the effort."

The main theme of the meeting was forgiveness. One of the quesitons asked was "how can we forgive and teach children to forgive when war leaves deep wounds in our hearts?" Pope Francis acknowledged the challenge: "Forgiveness is one of the hardest things. It is difficult for everyone, even for me."

He added, "But I am helped by this thought: I must forgive as I have been forgiven. Each of us must recall how we have been forgiven. The art of forgiveness is not easy, but we must keep moving forward and always forgive."

Earlier, the UOJ reported that Pope Francis had called on Christian leaders to double efforts toward peaceful negotiations in Ukraine.

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