The words of gratitude of the Polish Pope Saint John Paul II to the Ukrainian nation

For more than two and a half years, Ukraine has been fighting a brutal Russian invasion that targets civilians.

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Today, October 22, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of St. John Paul II. The Polish Pope is my favorite saint and I therefore ask for his intercession for Ukraine in the difficult situation that the Ukrainian people continue to suffer, while part of the world looks the other way.

Today I would like to recall these words that the Polish Pope dedicated to the Ukrainian nation on his apostolic trip to that country in 2001, specifically during his farewell at Lviv Airport on 27 June of that year, words that the peoples of the West should repeat incessantly in the years to come:

"Thank you, Ukraine, who defended Europe in your untiring and heroic struggle against invaders."

At that farewell ceremony, Saint John Paul II added:

"May the Lord give you peace, People of Ukraine, who with tenacious and harmonious dedication have at last recovered your freedom, and have begun the work of rediscovering your truest roots. You are committed to an arduous path of reforms aimed at giving everyone the possibility of following and practising their own faith, culture and convictions in a framework of freedom and justice.

Even if you still feel the painful scars of the tremendous wounds inflicted over endless years of oppression, dictatorship and totalitarianism, during which the rights of the people were denied and trampled upon, look with confidence to the future. This is the opportune time! This is the time for hope and daring!"

The Polish Pope ended his farewell that day in Lviv with these words:

"The solemn warning of your great poet Taras Shevchenko comes to mind: "Only in your own house will you find truth, strength and freedom". People of Ukraine, it is into the fertile soil of your own traditions that the roots of your future stretch! Together you can build that future; together you will be able to face the challenges of the present time, inspired by the common ideals that form the indelible heritage of your past and recent history. The mission is common to all; may the commitment taken on by the entire Ukrainian people also be common to all!

To you, land of Ukraine, I renew my wish for prosperity and peace. You have left unforgettable memories in my heart! Goodbye, friendly people, whom I embrace with sympathy and affection! Thank you for your heartfelt welcome and hospitality, which I shall never forget!

Goodbye, Ukraine! I make my own the words of your greatest poet and I invoke every blessing of the "strong and just God" upon the children of your land, "a hundred times stained with blood, once a glorious land". Dear Brothers and Sisters, with your poet and with you I say: May God protect you always, "o holy, holy, land of mine!".

I ask Almighty God to bless you, the people of Ukraine, and to heal all your wounds. May his great love fill your hearts and guide you in the Third Christian Millennium towards a new future . In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit!"