A sculpture of Archangel Michael atop the Lach Gates at Independence Square in Kyiv, Ukraine. / S-F/Shutterstock.
Kyiv, Ukraine, Mar 4, 2022 / 07:15 am (CNA).
The leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church said on Friday that “many people” have told him that they have seen “luminous angels over the land of Ukraine.”
Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk was speaking in a video message recorded on March 4 in the besieged Ukrainian capital Kyiv, whose patron saint is St. Michael the Archangel.
“Here in Kyiv we perceive that the patron of our city is the Archangel Michael who with the cry ‘Who is like God?’ cast into the abyss Lucifer — the one who rose up against God’s truth and was the leader of the diabolical armies,” he said.
“We perceive today that the Archangel Michael together with the whole Heavenly Host is fighting for Ukraine. So many people from throughout Ukraine are turning to me saying that they saw luminous angels over the land of Ukraine.”
He added: “Today we pray: O Archangel Michael and all the Powers of Heaven, fight for Ukraine! Cast down that devil who is attacking us and killing us, bringing devastation and death!”
Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk records a video message on March 4, 2022. Screenshot from news.ugcc.ua.
Social media users have shared unverified images purporting to show cloud formations resembling angels in Kyiv.
The city’s association with the Archangel Michael dates back to the medieval era, when the saint featured on the seals of the grand princes of Kievan Rus.
The capital’s coat of arms depicts the Archangel holding a flaming sword and a shield, and a sculpture of the saint stands atop the Lach Gates at Independence Square.
Sightings of angels have been reported in previous wars. A famous example is the Angel of Mons, which was said to have protected British soldiers during World War I’s Battle of Mons in Belgium in 1914. Despite scant evidence, the story captured the British public’s imagination and continues to attract interest today.
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Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell of Los Angeles at Mass at the Southern California Renewal Communities convention on Aug. 31, 2018. / Courtesy of Southern California Renewal Communities
Pope Francis presides at the Vatican’s Easter Vigil, Saturday, March 30, 2024 / Daniel Ibanez/CNA
Rome Newsroom, Mar 30, 2024 / 17:22 pm (CNA).
Pope Francis on Saturday evening presided over the Easter Vigil Mass at Saint Peter’s Basilica, reflecting on the gravity of Easter as a symbol of God’s reborn hope and the ultimate testament of life over death.
There were some concerns on Friday night about the pope’s wellbeing after the Holy Father canceled his attendance at Rome’s Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) at the last minute. The Holy See Press Office said the pope made the decision “to conserve his health” for the lengthy Easter Vigil liturgy.
“This is the Pasch of Christ, the revelation of God’s power: The victory of life over death, the triumph of light over darkness, the rebirth of hope amid the ruins of failure. It is the Lord, the God of the impossible, who rolled away the stone forever,” the pope said on Saturday in front of nearly 6,000 faithful gathered in Saint Peter’s Basilica.
Pope Francis celebrates the Vatican’s Easter Vigil, Saturday, March 30, 2024. Daniel Ibanez/CNA
“He is the one who brings us from darkness into light, who is bound to us forever, who rescues us from the abyss of sin and death, and draws us into the radiant realm of forgiveness and eternal life,” the pope continued in his homily.
The dramatic liturgy opened with Saint Peter’s Basilica shrouded in darkness. The Holy Father was positioned in front of the 15th century Filarete Door (covered in a white curtain and an embroidered tapestry of the resurrected Christ).
The pope inscribed a cross and the alpha and omega (the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet) on the white paschal candle, symbolizing Christ’s resurrection and the Christian hope of a new life in him.
Processing up the central nave of the basilica, a deacon carried the candle, pausing and chanting at three different times “Lumen Christi” (Light of Christ) to which the congregation responded “Deo Gratias” (Thanks be to God).
The paschal candle is processed at the Vatican’s Easter Vigil, Saturday, March 30, 2024. Daniel Ibanez/CNA
This moment was followed by the chanting of the Exultet, or the Easter proclamation, an ancient prayer which invites the faithful to join the church in celebrating Christ’s resurrection.
Pope Francis opened his homily by reflecting on the anguish and consternation of the women depicted in the Gospel who with “the tears of Good Friday … not yet dried” approached the tomb that had been obstructed with a stone.
“That stone, an overwhelming obstacle, symbolized what the women felt in their hearts. It represented the end of their hopes, now dashed by the obscure and sorrowful mystery that put an end to their dreams.”
“That stone marked the end of Jesus’ story, now buried in the night of death. He, the life that came into the world, had been killed,” the pope continued.
Clergy and visitors assemble at the Vatican’s Easter Vigil, Saturday, March 30, 2024. Daniel Ibanez/CNA
But, the pope noted, the women, upon casting their gazes upward, found the stone rolled away, a moment showcasing “the victory of life over death, the triumph of light over darkness, the rebirth of hope amid the ruins of failure.”
The pope related the initial anguish, and hope, of the women present at the sepulchre, noting that today we each “encounter such ‘tombstones’ on our journey through life in all the experiences and situations that rob us of enthusiasm and of the strength to persevere.”
Yet the pope implored the faithful to not succumb to despondency but instead draw hope from the resurrection.
“If we allow Jesus to take us by the hand, no experience of failure or sorrow, however painful, will have the last word on the meaning and destiny of our lives. Henceforth, if we allow ourselves to be raised up by the Risen Lord, no setback, no suffering, no death will be able to halt our progress towards the fullness of life.”
“Then no stone will block the way to our hearts, no tomb will suppress the joy of life, no failure will doom us to despair,” the pope continued. “Let us lift our eyes to him and ask that the power of his resurrection may roll away the heavy stones that weigh down our souls.”
Following a brief moment of reflection at the end of the homily, Pope Francis opened up the baptismal rite. With the blessing of the water, and a public recitation of vows, the Holy Father personally baptized eight adults: four Italians, two Koreans, a Japanese man, and an Albanian.
Salford, England, May 7, 2019 / 11:56 am (CNA).- The English and Welsh bishops’ lead on environmental issues welcomed Thursday the publication of an advisory group’s report encouraging the British government to cut greenhouse gas net emissions to zero by 2050.
“In achieving this target, we must all play our part, and I’m proud that the Catholic community has taken a leading role in showing what can be achieved. Thousands of our churches are running on renewable energy and schools and parishes in dioceses around the country have committed to living simply and sustainably,” Bishop John Arnold of Salford said May 2.
He called ‘net zero’ an “ambitious target which will be welcomed by the thousands of Catholics in this country who have responded to Pope Francis’s call for us to protect our common home.”
Bishop Arnold said that “we look forward to seeing the government embracing its role in delivering this agenda urgently and enthusiastically.”
“The report represents a welcome recognition that as a country we must be a good ‘global’ neighbour and must think about the millions of our brothers and sisters around the world who already face danger and suffering, and the millions more who will increasingly be affected by climate change.”
The Committee on Climate Change, which issued the report, said the 2050 goal is possible to meet through lowered costs of renewable energy.
Net zero emissions would be achieved by reducing, storing, and offsetting emissions.
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