Throughout history, there have been examples of nations waging war, without provocation, and causing immense suffering for innocent men, women, and children. Countries are torn apart, citizens are displaced and become refugees in other countries, and regions are destabilized. Sadly, this situation is playing out in Ukraine. For Europe and the world community, there is great anxiety at Russia's attack on a peaceful and sovereign country. There will be a great loss of life. People of good will are united in calling for an end to this war.

I was pleased to learn that the Holy Father visited the Russian Embassy in the Vatican to make a personal appeal for an end to the conflict. We join with the pope's call to make March 2, Ash Wednesday, a day of prayer and fasting. The Holy Father has said, "Every war leaves our world worse than it was before. War is a failure of politics and of humanity, a shameful capitulation, a stinging defeat before the forces of evil."

We will keep the people of Ukraine close to our hearts. We pray to Our Lady Queen of Peace, to keep watch over our brothers and sisters in Ukraine. We join in solidarity with Father Yaroslav Nalysnyk, pastor of Christ the King Ukrainian Catholic Church in Boston, his parishioners, as well as people of all faiths, Catholic and non-Catholic, in this prayer for peace and for the strength of the Ukrainian people in the face of this violent aggression.

New York Encounter

Saturday morning, I attended the New York Encounter, an annual gathering organized by Communion and Liberation. I met a number of bishops as well as people from Boston who were there. Father Michael Zimmerman attended with a group from Boston.

One of the exhibits there was about the life and works of Father Luigi Giussani, the founder of CL. They had a very good turnout, though perhaps not as many people in person as before the pandemic. But this time, since so many of the conferences are online, they really multiplied the number of participants in the New York Encounter who were participating not just in New York but from around the world.

I'm so grateful to Olivetta Danese and all of those who work so hard every year to make the New York Encounter a reality. They gather so many young Catholics, university students, and young adults, whose lives have been touched by the idealism and the beauty of the teachings of Father Giussani and other Catholics who are there trying to learn about their faith and to be, as Pope Francis says, "missionary disciples."

Council of Cardinals

Later that day, I travelled to the Vatican for a meeting of the Council of Cardinals with the Holy Father.

The meeting took place between Monday and Wednesday and we shared with each other the situation of the Church in our countries of origin. We discussed the concept of synodality as part of the Church's identity and other topics related to the diplomatic service and the role of nuncios. During the meeting, we also listened to a report by Sister Linda Pocher on the role of women in the Church.