Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine: Solidarity offers hope amid suffering

By Benedetta Capelli - Rimini

The Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine, Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, has said that solidarity with Ukraine offers great hope, despite the war-torn nation's immense suffering.

His remarks came at the 2024 edition of the Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples in Rimini, Italy. The so-called Rimini Meeting is annually organized by the Communion and Liberation Movement, and draws together high-level individuals in various realms.

"If you want peace, prepare for peace" was the theme of the roundtable in which the Apostolic Nuncio participated. 

Concrete gestures of solidarity

Archbishop Kulbokas recalled a Ukrainian woman's generosity who, with the help of many acquaintances, brought $60 million worth of aid into the country. 

"There was also a man who believes, but does not identify with any Church, who shared with me how he helped 280 people escape," he said. 

Moreover, the Nuncio recalled that 800 people were evacuated from Mariupol thanks to the determination of a Protestant church. 

"This is why," Archbishop Kulbokas emphasized, "I place my hope in civil society, which takes these challenges to heart, and has a greater ability to make a difference."

A large audience listened to his account, delivered from Kyiv via live-streaming, as he offered a glimpse into the dramatic reality. 

Difficult to perceive

The Nuncio observed that often civil society is capable of understanding dangers of certain situations before anyone else, including institutions.

"There were signals indicating that something was wrong," he said, even if he admitted that he had underestimated certain aspects. 

While expressing his conviction that individuals are the first to perceive emergencies. "It is true," he noted, "that wars follow no rules, and this is why institutions are often unprepared."

Given all of this, he said that the immense nature of the challenges requires an equally immense response.

Never lose hope

Ukrainian lawyer Oleksandra Matviychuk, who leads the Center for Civil Liberties, a Kyiv-based civil rights organization that was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022, also participated in the roundtable.

The attorney shared testimonies of the violence perpetrated in the country and urged the community to be courageous and perform acts of solidarity, "as an expression of humanity that does not remain indifferent to the suffering of others." 

Lali Liparteliani and Anastasia Zolotova, who lead the Ukrainian-NGO "Emmaus," which is involved in evacuating disabled persons, also shared moving testimonies.

Despite both women acknowledging that they have felt a certain sense of alienation and loss of identity due to the war, they shared with those present that they have nonetheless found comfort and strength in Christ, whom they cling to as their hope for a more peaceful future.