His Holiness Pope Francis!
With deep respect and reverence we turn to you, women of Ukraine, mothers, wives, grandmothers, sisters, whose hearts are filled with pain, fear and sadness. Our eyes became veiled with tears. It is as if we are in darkness, and this darkness is hopeless.
When the war broke out in our lands, our men went to defend the homeland. And they were captured and taken prisoner. And for seven long months we don’t know where they are, what happened to them, if they are fed today, if they are safe. We are many, we are more than 17,000 families who have prisoners in the hands of the Russians.
But hope and faith do not abandon our hearts. We keep knocking on every door for help in our pain. We are like the woman who came to the King every day to ask for protection. For this she was listened to and protected.
Man of God, Pope Francis! In our plea and petition we turn to you, the one who has power and authority, whose voice can be heard among the nations and who can influence the course of events and the fate of our relatives in captivity. We ask you, man of God, to become a mediator in the negotiations for an exchange as quickly as possible, be kind to us and do it as soon as possible, because there is nothing more precious than human life, it is above all and it is for this it is necessary to make the maximum effort for its conservation.
The cold with the winter is coming and our captive relatives do not have adequate clothes. This is dangerous for them, because based on the testimonies of those who have returned from captivity, we are convinced of Russia’s failure to comply with the Geneva Conventions.
Pope Francis, whose heart overflows with the love of God, helps and influences the exchange of “all for all”.
With love and respect, his proteges in Christ.