The Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit monastery in Mariupol, where the Pauline Fathers lived and served, has been seized by the Russians and was transformed in the seat of the local administration of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic – established at the end of March. But only now has it emerged that its headquarters are located in the Catholic monastery. Father Pavlo Tomaszewski, Pauline priest at Our Lady of Czestochowa parish in Mariupol, broke the news with a post on Facebook, relayed by SIR news agency. “Christ is risen!”, he wrote. “I received some sad news today. The occupiers of our monastery in Mariupol have established there the seat of the DPR administration (Donetsk People’s Republic, ed.’s note) for the whole city! I ask you to pray for our beautiful city, for its defenders and for us, and for our city and our shrine to be delivered from the invaders!”
“On Saturday evening I received a message from Msgr. Jan Sobilo, auxiliary bishop of the diocese of Kharkiv and Zaporozhye”, the priest told SIR. “He informed me that the occupiers had transformed the monastery into the seat of the municipal council and sent me a photo.” “I also learned that our monastery was ransacked on March 17,” the priest continued. I was told about it by a man from our parish who had managed to flee Mariupol. They took everything there was, the chalices for the holy mass and all valuable objects.” Sadly, the situation in the city is extremely critical and all communications have been cut off. It is thus virtually impossible to receive information. “I don’t know what is happening today,” confirmed Father Pavlo. ” I will try to contact someone but it’s difficult. There is no internet or mobile phone coverage in the city. I know that in some places there is electricity and running water.
But there it’s a disaster. All this is very painful to me. It’s very hard for me because they took our church and did whatever they could to make us leave. Now they disgraced it. This is very, very difficult to accept.”
On March 5, along with a confrere of the Order of St. Paul the First Hermit (Paulines), the priest had managed to flee the city besieged by the Russians together with a group of parishioners. They took shelter in the monastery of St. Nicholas Parish in Kamianets-Podilskyi. Reports from Ukrainian Catholic news agency ‘Risu’ suggest that a full-scale genocide of the Ukrainian people is unfolding in the city. It is estimated that over 10,000 people could die from diseases and from the unbearable conditions in Mariupol by the end of 2022. Ukrainian soldiers from Mariupol are trapped in the Azovstal steel plant since the end of April. Approximately 600 wounded persons are still in the underground areas of the Azovstal plant, stormed by the Russian troops, in precarious conditions, without medicine, water or food. Pope Francis has repeatedly called for opening humanitarian corridors and has also met a “delegation” of wives of Ukrainian soldiers in Rome. Meanwhile, the wife of the commander of the Azov regiment, Kateryna Prokopenko, has launched the petition ‘Save Mariupol’, urging an extraction procedure for the Ukrainian soldiers trapped in Azovstal, with almost 1.5 million signatures so far. “We call on the United Nations, the UN Secretary-General, and regional leaders around the world to begin an immediate ‘extraction’ procedure of the evacuation of civilians, all wounded, the bodies of the fallen and Ukrainian servicemen from blockaded Mariupol.”
“We still have the opportunity to save people’s lives.
We call for decisive action by the international community to: provide an urgent ceasefire with guarantees from both sides in Mariupol; organize immediate monitoring of compliance with the ceasefire by a third party; organize the maritime evacuation of civilians and Ukrainian servicemen to the territory controlled by the Ukrainian government or to the territory of a third intermediary state.”
Also the Major Archbishop of Kyiv Sviatoslav Shevchuk intervened on the situation in Mariupol. “Data obtained yesterday show that over 170,000 people are facing starvation in the heroic city of Mariupol. Our defenders have been defending it for days. The city is completely besieged, and all the people of good will are sending a strong appeal to the whole world to save those people who prevent the invader from accomplishing his plans. It is there, in Mariupol, that Ukraine’s victory is being shaped today.” “Today Mariupol is like a huge graveyard”, the city’s government denounced on Telegram on Monday. More than 20,000 people have already died. More than 10,000 risk dying from diseases, lack of water, food and medicine.” The head of the Greek Catholic Church thus pleaded: “I too appeal to all those with the power to save the people of this city of Mary: do what is within your power. For our part, we pray and do all we can to save those who face death from starvation today, on whose heads are falling tons of Russian bombs.” The leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church has been following with concern the developments over the past 24 hours in the regions of Luhansk, Donetsk and Kherson, and in Zaporizhya, where heavy and deadly fighting is taking place. “The enemy is trying to advance, and the Ukrainian army is heroically defending Ukrainian land.” “Because of the ongoing war, Ukraine is today the territory most heavily contaminated by explosives. Even in the liberated territories in the east, tens of thousands of hectares of Ukrainian land are yet to be cleared from landmines. This effort may take years”, said the archbishop.
