Pope presented with dove of peace made of glass shards from church damaged by Russia in Kyiv – photo

Ukrainian artist Yama Tarhonia has presented Pope Francis with a blue and yellow dove of peace made from a piece of stained glass from the Church of St Nicholas in Kyiv, which was damaged in a Russian attack on 20 December 2024.

Source: Roman Catholic Church of Ukraine

Details: The message to the Pope was conveyed through Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, who visited the church on 24 December, the Roman Catholic Church of Ukraine said.

Quote: "This is a piece of our heart, which is filled with love, suffering and drops of Jesus Christ's blood," says Yurii Tandit, chairman of the board of trustees of the St Nicholas Church, about the significance of the dove of peace.

During his visit to the church, the cardinal led a prayer for a just peace in Ukraine and inspected the damage to the church that was damaged by the Russian attack.

Quote: "By his presence, the Cardinal expressed the solidarity of the Holy See and conveyed the prayerful support and blessing of Pope Francis.

He also expressed Christmas greetings to the parish of St Nicholas, indicated his support for the parish and its efforts to preserve this place of prayer in the face of enemies," the Roman Catholic Church added.

Background:

• The Church of St Nicholas, a national architectural monument, was damaged during a Russian missile strike on Kyiv on Friday, 20 December.
• According to Father Pavlo Vyshkovskyi, parish priest of the Church of St Nichola, the windows in the towers of the church have been shattered, and the stained glass windows were also damaged.
• The church issued a statement that despite the damage, everyone is invited to attend Christmas Mass on 24 and 25 December. 
• "This will be a demonstration of our fortitude, the fact that nothing and no one will steal Christmas from us," Father Pavlo said. 

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