Russia-Ukraine War: the Via Crucis returns to the Colosseum and a Ukrainian and a Russian family will carry the cross

A Ukrainian and a Russian family they bear the cross at one of the Via Crucis stations to be held next Friday, after two years canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, at the Colosseum in Rome in the presence of Pope Francis and will call for “reconciliation” between these two countries.

These are the families of two nursesIrina, from Ukraine, and Albina, from Russia, who work at the Rome Bio-Medical Campus and that they will express how they feel these days of the war, after the Russian invasion, according to Via Cruci texts published on Monday.

Before the Roman Colosseum, symbol of persecution of the early Christians, They will explain how to “winter snow, pick up the children from school, work, hugs, friendships” and it’s all overand they will ask God why, “in the midst of ended tears and anger gave way to resignation.”

They knew the difficulty of reconciliation, they called on the Lord for that taught them to “have peaceto be brothers and rebuild what the bombs want to destroy “.

In particular, the meditation to be read during the tour of Ukrainian and Russian families, when Jesus died on the cross, says:

“Death is all around you. Life seems to lose value. Everything changes in a matter of seconds. Existence, days, indifferent winter snow, picking up kids from school, work, hugs, friendships … everything. Everything is suddenly gone. value. Where are you Lord? Where are you hiding? Why is all this? Why have you forsaken us? Why have you forsaken our countrymen? Why have you divided our families like this? we want to dream and live? “

And continues:

“The tears have stopped. Anger has given way to resignation. We know you love us, Lord, but we don’t feel this love and it drives us crazy. We wake up in the morning and a few seconds later we are happy, but we immediately remember how difficult our reconciliation was. Lord, where are you? Speak in the silence of death and division and teach us to reconcile, to be brothers, to rebuild what the bombs want to destroy. “

immigrants and families

At the last stations, the cross will be carried by a family of migrants who will explain that after the difficult journey, they are now treated as a burden on the host country.

“Here we are numbers, categories, simplification. However, we are more than just immigrants. we are human“, is read in the reflections of the Via Crucis.

The words of this year’s Via Crucis was written by familiesbecause the Catholic Church celebrates the Year of the Family, and will feature a young couple, a family on a mission, elderly wife without childrena large family or parents of adopted children.

After two years of pandemic, where the Way of the Cross on Good Friday Touched on a vacant plaza of San Pedro, this time the action will be massive again.

Papa can be witnessed Via Cruci from Palatine Hill and a few final messages are expected, though he has not done so in the past two years, preferring silence.

EFE and ANSA

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