Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine: Solidarity offers hope amid suffering
The Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine, Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, discusses the war in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion and the many expressions of solidarity that offer hope, as he participates in a roundtable at the Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples in the Italian city of Rimini.
The Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine, Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, has said that solidarity with Ukraine offers great hope, despite the war-torn nation’s immense suffering.
His remarks came at the 2024 edition of the Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples in Rimini, Italy. The so-called Rimini Meeting is annually organized by the Communion and Liberation Movement, and draws together high-level individuals in various realms.
“If you want peace, prepare for peace” was the theme of the roundtable in which the Apostolic Nuncio participated.
Concrete gestures of solidarity
Archbishop Kulbokas recalled a Ukrainian woman’s generosity who, with the help of many acquaintances, brought $60 million worth of aid into the country.
“There was also a man who believes, but does not identify with any Church, who shared with me how he helped 280 people escape,” he said.
Moreover, the Nuncio recalled that 800 people were evacuated from Mariupol thanks to the determination of a Protestant church.
“This is why,” Archbishop Kulbokas emphasized, “I place my hope in civil society, which takes these challenges to heart, and has a greater ability to make a difference.”
A large audience listened to his account, delivered from Kyiv via live-streaming, as he offered a glimpse into the dramatic reality.
Difficult to perceive
The Nuncio observed that often civil society is capable of understanding dangers of certain situations before anyone else, including institutions.
“There were signals indicating that something was wrong,” he said, even if he admitted that he had underestimated certain aspects.
While expressing his conviction that individuals are the first to perceive emergencies. “It is true,” he noted, “that wars follow no rules, and this is why institutions are often unprepared.”
Given all of this, he said that the immense nature of the challenges requires an equally immense response.
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