Crux reports on August 5 that during a semi-private meeting, a Russian Orthodox bishop expressed regret for the Ukraine war, thanking Francis for supporting the Ukrainian people.

"I would like to thank you very much for all you have done for the Ukrainian people," the Russian Orthodox bishop told Pope Francis.

The comment was made during a private meeting with interreligious leaders and was translated by Portuguese Father Peter Stillwell, director of the Portuguese bishops' Department of Ecumenical Relations and Interreligious Dialogue.

However a report from the Pillar, the American news website, makes it clear the politics of a private meeting did not translate to the World Youth Day public devotion where there was a notable absence of any reference to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The meditations there centred generally on problems that youth typically face, such as uncertainty about the future, issues with mental health and the scourges of drugs, pornography and alcohol, but also conflict and a lack of religious freedom.

While there were general references to the suffering caused by war, there was no mention of the conflict that has the world on edge.

The Vatican's handling of the Ukraine issue has been fraught with tension.

During the past two Via Crucis observances on Good Friday in Rome, the Holy See insisted on including a symbolic gesture for peace in Ukraine, involving both a Ukrainian and a Russian.

Neither time was Ukraine amused, leading to strained relations between the Vatican and Kyiv.

According to a source within the WYD organisation, Rome initially insisted on a similar gesture though it was unclear if it was intended for the Via Crucis devotions.

The Ukrainians made it clear that there would be diplomatic repercussions this time, and local organisers managed to dissuade the Holy See from repeating the gesture.

A compromise was reached including a visit to Ukraine by Bishop Américo Aguiar, who headed the WYD task force, to assure local Catholics that they had not been forgotten.

It is unknown whether Pope Francis' decision to hold a private audience for Ukrainian pilgrims, during which he prayed with them, was also part of the compromise.

The delicate handling of the Ukraine issue underscores the Vatican's complex position in a conflict that has strained international relations.

The Pope's actions continue to be scrutinised as the world seeks a peaceful resolution to a crisis that shows no signs of resolution.

Asked en route to Rome why he skipped the peace prayer at Lourdes, the Pope said he did not want to give publicity to a public prayer.

"I prayed! I prayed! I prayed to the Madonna and I prayed for peace. I didn't make publicity. But I prayed. And we have to continually repeat this prayer for peace."

A Vatican official, speaking on condition he not be named, denied that any ecclesial-diplomatic considerations entered Francis' decision-making.

Sources

• Crux
• The Pillar
• Associated Press

The reenactment depicts militant feminists beating Christ, who had fallen to the ground.

The ceremony was organized and broadcast on Facebook by Life Online Oficial.

Life Online Oficial is an evangelization platform with ties to Saint Joseph's parish in Ciudad Pemex, Mexico.

Members of Life Online Oficial members describe themselves as "young Catholics". They say they are interested in "talking about many topics that help us to be better and to grow in our faith, duly informing us about topics of interest in the light of the Church's magisterium."

The Way of the Cross reenactment was broadcast and presented by Fr. Tomás Raymundo Rodríguez, who is the pastor of Saint Joseph's parish.

In the portrayal of the Eighth Station, the narrator in the reenactment says: "2021 years ago, the Savior encountered a group of women in the streets of Jerusalem weeping for Him.

"Today, 2021 years later, the Lord returns to meet very different women than those he consoled.

"Women, trapped in a group that is irrational, demanding rights based on insults, destroying everything in their path, fighting for feminism and the dignity of women, when they don't even conduct themselves in a dignified manner," the narration continues.

"Violent women, leaving a trail of vandalism. Women who enter the churches to desecrate the Eucharist, to mock the Virgin Mary."

The portrayal alludes to the frequent incidents in Latin America of radical feminists tagging churches with pro-abortion graffiti.

Some Mexican media outlets criticized the Diocese of Tabasco and its major seminary for the controversial reenactment.

However, Bishop Gerardo de Jesús Rojas López of Tabasco say neither the seminary nor the diocese were responsible for the service.

Source

• CNA
• Image: National Catholic Reporter

The Vatican announced Tuesday that the Agesci "Foligno I" Scout Group in Umbria, made up of 145 young people between the ages of eight and 19, has composed the meditations for the 2021 edition of the Way of the Cross with Pope Francis.

An additional group of around 500 kids from the First Communion and Confirmation catechism classes at the Rome parish of the Holy Martyrs of Uganda have also helped prepare the meditations, the Vatican said.

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The service will take place on Good Friday, at Rome's Colosseum.

In a public letter, the pope said he chose the parish community so the meditations would reflect on the lives of those involved in the prison system.

These include "the victim, the prisoner, the prison officer, the volunteer, the family of those detained, probation officers, the church, and the innocent person who, at times, is unjustly accused."

"The prison is a kaleidoscope of situations, and there is always a big risk in telling a detail to the detriment of the whole" system, he said. "The resurrection of a person is never the work of an individual, but of a community walking together."

Francis has made it a habit each year to spread his requests for people to write the commentary and prayers for the Way of the Cross, so someone different writes them each time.

He says he chose to publish his choice for the meditations in Padua's local newspaper because he wanted the announcement "to be a caress to the suffering of these days."

Padua is located in northern Italy, the area being hit hardest due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has put the entire country under lockdown in an effort to prevent the virus spreading further.

"I write to you in order to write symbolically to everyone," the pope's letter to the paper said.

"The suffering and death that, as in other parts of Italy, you are experiencing because of the virus is for me a reason for prayer and human closeness."

"It is also the reason for Christian hope: Even in these moments God is speaking to us," he said.

Pope Francis, who has read the meditations from the Due Palazzi prison community, said he was "moved" by them.

They make him feel "like the brother of those who made mistakes and those who accept to stand beside them.

"I thank the parish of the prison and, together with them, I thank all those who work for this small world," Francis said.

"God bless the good heart of those who challenge indifference with tenderness."

Source

• Catholic News Service
• Image: Angelus News