VATICAN CITY -- Two cardinals arrived at separate destinations on one mission entrusted to them by Pope Francis: to bring relief, hope and encouragement to suffering Ukrainians.

Cash and care go hand in hand in the Catholic response to the crisis in Ukraine.

Mine is a journey of prayer, prophecy and denunciation. I (left) Rome on March 8 to reach Budapest and I will continue by meeting refugees and displaced persons, and those who welcome and assist them. 

VATICAN CITY -- In a telephone call with Russia's foreign minister, the Vatican secretary of state "conveyed Pope Francis' deep concern about the ongoing war in Ukraine," the Vatican said.

VATICAN CITY -- As the Russian military continues to bombard Ukraine, the Vatican is mobilizing efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to those suffering.

PRZEMYSL, Poland -- Buses, broken suitcases, a pile of strollers and tents stuffed with donated clothing, toys, diapers, canned food, stiff cots and blankets fill the parking lot of the defunct Tesco supermarket in Przemysl.

VATICAN CITY -- Catholic and Orthodox leaders in Europe have appealed to Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, urging him to convince Russian President Vladimir Putin to put an end to the bloodshed in Ukraine.

Last Friday morning, in the leadup to Lent, with Vladimir Putin’s invading troops on the doorstep of Ukraine, Pope Francis paid a surprise call on his neighbours at the Russian embassy on Rome’s Via della Conciliazione. 

After praying the Panachyda — traditional Byzantine prayers for the dead in time of war — Katia Metersky left Toronto’s St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church in tears.

War is never moral. It is not ordered to the good. But the Church through the centuries has taught that when faced with war, or the prospect of war, we must think carefully and morally — prudence first. So, is a war that pits a broad Western alliance against Russian aggression in Ukraine a just war?

Brilliant young sociologist Tymofii Brik, of the Kyiv School of Economics, is normally happy to explain the subtleties of Ukrainian society and opinion. When The Catholic Register’s questions reached him last week, however, he was not in his scholarly comfort zone.

BALTIMORE -- Lighting a candle near the sanctuary inside St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic Church in East Baltimore Feb. 27, Wendy Bozel struggled to contain her emotions.

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis said his heart was "broken" by the war in Ukraine, and he pleaded again, "Silence the weapons!"

ROME -- As Russian troops approached Ukraine's capital, Pope Francis phoned the head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, offering his encouragement and promising, "I will do everything I can" to help.

VATICAN CITY -- As Russia continued its assault on Ukraine and Russian troops pressed toward the capital, Kyiv, Pope Francis left the Vatican Feb. 25 to pay a visit to the Russian ambassador to the Holy See.