Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church gave Pope Francis a fragment of the Russian mine that destroyed the facade of the church in Irpin

Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Sviatoslav Shevchuk, met with Pope Francis on November 7, 2022. It was his first visit to Rome since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine.

During their meeting, Shevchuk gave Pope Francis a fragment of a Russian mine that destroyed the facade of the сhurch building in the war-torn Irpin.

“It is a very symbolic gift, not only because Irpin was one of the first ‘martyr towns’ affected by the Russian aggression against Ukraine, but also because similar pieces of landmines are extracted from the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers, civilians, and children, a visible sign of the destruction and death that war brings every day,” stated Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

Source