In Montecassino, Head of the UGCC prayed at the graves of Ukrainian soldiers
On October 21, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Head and Father of the UGCC, made a pilgrimage to the relics of the patron saint of Europe, St. Benedict in Montecassino and prayed at the graves of Ukrainian soldiers who died in the battles on this mountain during World War II.
While in Rome to participate in the Pontifical Synod, the Head of the UGCC made a pilgrimage to one of the oldest monasteries in Europe on Montecassino, where the relics of St. Benedict are stored. At the tomb of the saint, the Head of the UGCC prayed for peace in Ukraine and entrusted to his intercession the entire Ukrainian people, “who at the cost of their own lives today are a shield for the family of European nations against the threat of the Russkiy mir.”
His Beatitude Sviatoslav also met with the Abbot of the monastery, Fr. Luigi di Bussolo, responsible for external relations. The Head of the UGCC discussed the situation in Ukraine and the ministry of the Church in times of war and asked the Benedictine monks to pray for a just peace for Ukraine. Special consideration was given to the issue of forced migrants from Ukraine and their cultural and educational integration into Italian society.
There is a so-called Polish cemetery near the monastery, where there are many graves of Ukrainian soldiers among the thousands of military graves. During World War II, the German troops turned the monastery in Montecassino into a central fortification point that protected the approaches to Rome. In May 1944, Allied troops stormed the mountain. The 2 nd Corps of the Polish Army under General Władysław Anders, which included many Ukrainians, was the most outstanding in the battle. Ukrainian soldiers are identified by their surnames and places of origin.
Secretariat of the Head of the UGCC in Rome
