Moscow Vicar General Calls for Just Peace as Ukraine War Enters Fifth Year

As the war in Ukraine enters its fifth year since the full scale invasion of February 2022, the Vicar General of the Archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow has said the conflict must end, pointing to the countless lives lost and the deep wounds affecting families across the region.

Speaking about the situation facing Russia’s small Catholic minority, Father Kirill Gorbunov described a community that represents less than one percent of the population. Historically viewed with suspicion as foreign, Catholics in Russia often balance their identity as members of the universal Church with their cultural roots in Russian society. In this context, the war has added another layer of tension and sorrow.

Father Gorbunov said that among the Catholics he encounters, there is a shared longing for the violence to cease. The human cost of the conflict, reflected in expanding cemeteries and divided households, has left a profound mark. He emphasized that any resolution must aim for a just and lasting peace rather than a temporary pause in hostilities.

He acknowledged that reactions within Russian society vary. Some people, he said, respond with denial, attempting to distance themselves from the daily reality of war. Others become overwhelmed, consumed by despair and questioning God’s presence amid suffering. As a priest, he said, it is impossible to ignore such questions. Instead, he encourages reflection on Scripture and the Christian understanding of history, where moments of crisis call individuals and societies to conversion.

The war has also strained families with ties to both Russia and Ukraine. Many Catholic households include members from both nations, and the conflict has created painful divisions. Father Gorbunov described this as one of the most personal and enduring sources of suffering.

Regarding public narratives, he observed that in times of conflict, societies often adopt similar patterns of thinking, framing their own side as just and the other as entirely wrong. Such narratives, he suggested, can harden perceptions and make reconciliation more difficult. The Church’s message, he said, is to resist reducing entire peoples to stereotypes and to recognize the limits of information and perspective that shape opinions.

Within the Catholic community in Moscow, parish life continues with the celebration of the sacraments and common prayer. Yet the conflict has underscored the fragility of unity. Differences of opinion sometimes surface even within small congregations. Father Gorbunov stressed the need to pray together despite disagreements and to remember that God’s desire for salvation extends to all.

In a time marked by loss and division, he said the Christian task is to learn to see others with God’s eyes. Only through such a change of heart can societies begin to move beyond violence toward authentic peace.