Minister General’s visit of fraternity and hope to Ukraine

In recent days, the Franciscan community in Ukraine has experienced a time of profound grace and consolation. The Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor, Br. Massimo Fusarelli, made an official visit to the country, accompanied by Br. Konrad Grzegorz Cholewa, Definitor General, and Br. Franco Mirri, Director of the OFM Fraternitas Foundation. This trip represented a tangible sign of solidarity and closeness on the part of all universal fraternity, united in prayer and in the incessant desire for peace for the Ukrainian nation. 

The first stop of the visit took place at the convent of Sudova Vyshnya. Here, the friars, in addition to sharing the joy of the meeting with the local community, visited some disadvantaged families of the parish, bringing them material and spiritual comfort. 

Subsequently, the guests went to the convent of Zhytomyr, where a fraternal moment of dialogue and assembly was held with the friars of the Province of St. Michael the Archangel. The day then continued with the solemn Eucharistic celebration, celebrated together with the friars of the Province, in the parish church of St. John of Dukla. After Mass and the subsequent moment of fraternal lunch, an event of great importance took place: the Minister General blessed the "House of St. Francis" adjacent to the convent. It is a structure of great social and ecclesial importance which, in the near future, will house a rehabilitation centre for soldiers and their families, a Christian student residence and a pastoral centre for Franciscan Youth. 

The journey continued to Sharhorod to get to know the activities of the local convent up close. After the celebration of the Liturgy, the friars met and talked with refugees and internally displaced persons from eastern Ukraine, during the usual distribution of food parcels, sharing the listening of their dramatic testimonies. Particularly touching was also the visit to the "Nazareth" children's centre, where the children gave the Roman guests a warm and joyful welcome. 

On the way to the next stop, the friars of the General Curia stopped in Husiatyn to visit the local community. On this occasion, they were able to observe the state of the restoration work of the ancient complex of the Bernardine convent and the church of St. Anthony, carried out under the careful and passionate guidance of Fr. Mykhailo Bahinskyi. 

The visit ended in Ternopil, where the Minister General and his companions met with the Franciscan friars of the Byzantine rite of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church. A moment of the highest ecumenical and fraternal value was the solemn Divine Liturgy in the Byzantine rite, concelebrated by the guests of Rome together with their Greek-Catholic confreres. This common prayer testified once again to the richness of the Franciscan charism, which, beyond the ritual differences, gathers around the one Altar, instilling hope and renewed vigour to continue to serve the people of God in these times of trial. 

With the contribution of Br. Cristian Kryvakivskyy, OFM