Pope Francis to Members of the Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches (R.O.A.C.O.) (26 June 2014)

25 June 2014, RISU

The 87^th Assembly of the council organizations that help the Eastern Catholic Churches has met at the Vatican. On this occasion, on June 24, 2014, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri offered Mass for the donors in the Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican, at the tomb of St. John Paul.


Among those attending the Mass there were Patriarch Sviatoslav (Shevchuk), the Head of the UGCC, and Archbishop Thomas Edward Gullickson, the Apostolic Nuncio in Ukraine. Referring to the recent canonization of the Bishops of Rome John XXIII and John Paul II, Cardinal Sandri said that  the requests prayer for peace in Syria, Iraq and throughout the Middle East and Ukraine duting the Mass were also close to the above Popes.


“Let us ask Our Merciful Father to repose numerous victims of the existing conflicts and to console those who mourn the loss”, this request was announced by Cardinal Leonardo Sandri during the Mass.
During the “Prayer of the faithful” in Italian the following request was raised: “For all the faithful of the Eastern Catholic Churches, at home and in the Diaspora, especially for the Greek Catholic Church in Romania and Ukraine, The request for victims of violence and war, and for peace in Syria, Iraq and Ukraine sounded in German, reports Vatican Radio.


On June 26 the participants had a private audience with Pope Francis. Here is his address: To Members of the Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches (R.O.A.C.O.) (26 June 2014)