Ukrainian mayor and politicians attend Vatican Easter vigil as pope invokes ‘gestures of peace’

Pope Francis on Saturday invoked “gestures of peace in these days marked by the horror of war” in an Easter vigil homily in St Peter’s Basilica attended by the mayor of the occupied Ukrainian city of Melitopol and three Ukrainian politicians.

The pontiff noted that while “many writers have evoked the beautify of starlit nights, the nights of war, however, are riven by streams of light that portend death.”

Francis did not refer directly to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but he has called for an Easter truce to reach a negotiated peace. That call appeared in vain on Saturday, as Russia resumed missile and rocket attacks on Kyiv, western Ukraine and beyond in a stark reminder that the whole country remains under threat.

At the end of his homily, the pontiff directly addressed Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov and Ukrainian politicians Maria Mezentseva, Olena Khomenko and Rusem Umerov, who sat all together in the front row.

“In this darkness of war, in the cruelty, we are all praying for you and with you this night. We are praying for all the suffering. We can only give you our company, our prayer,’’ Francis said, adding that “the biggest thing you can receive: Christ is risen,” speaking the last three words in Ukrainian.

Fedorov was abducted and held for five days by Russian troops after they occupied Melitopol, a strategic southern city. Fedorov and the politicians have been visiting European capitals asking for more aid for their war-torn country and met earlier on Saturday with the Vatican’s No 2, Secretary of State Pietro Parolin.

For Christians, Easter is a day of joy and hope, as they mark their belief that Jesus triumphed over death by resurrection following his crucifixion.