COMMUNITY SANT’EGIDIO: URGENT APPEAL FOR KIEV TO BE AN “OPEN CITY”

USPA NEWS - In these dramatic hours for the capital of Ukraine, Andrea Riccardi and the Community of Sant'Egidio launch the proposal, with the following manifesto - open to the adhesion of all -, to reach an immediate ceasefire and to urgently proclaim Kyiv an "Open City". We publish the full statement issued on 25 February, calling for a cease fire, «  A call for the salvation of Kiev, capital of three million inhabitants »

COMMUNITY OF SANT’EGIDIO: URGENT APPEAL FOR KIEV TO BE AN “OPEN CITY” « A CALL FOR THE SALVATION OF KIEV » Kiev, capital of three million inhabitants, in Europe, is today a battlefield.The civilian population, helpless, lives in a state of danger, of terror, while finding refuge in underground shelters. The weakest, from the elderly to children and the homeless, are even more at risk. There are already the first civilian casualties. Kiev is a city that represents a great cultural heritage. One cannot think of European culture, of European history without Kiev, just as one cannot think of Russian culture, of Russian history, without Kiev. The city, among many monuments, is home to World Heritage sites.------------------------------------------ Kyiv is a sanctuary city for many Christians, mainly for Orthodox Christians around the world. The history of the faith of the Ukrainian, Belarusian and Russian peoples began in Kiev. Ukrainian and Russian monasticism was born in Kiev. The Great Cave Lavra Monastery on the hill overlooking the great Dnieper River is a millennial holy place of pilgrimage and prayer. Kiev is a precious city for all Christians.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The fate of Kiev does not leave indifferent those who, from East and West, watch the city and its inhabitants with passion and involvement. After Sarajevo, after Aleppo, we will never see the siege of a big city again. The inhabitants of Kiev are calling for a burst of humanity. Its cultural heritage cannot be exposed to the risk of destruction. The sanctity of Kiev for the Christian world demands respect. We implore those who decide to refrain from using weapons in Kiev, to declare a ceasefire in the city, to proclaim Kiev an "open city", not to strike its inhabitants with the violence of weapons, not to violate a city for which today looks at the whole of humanity. May the resumption of a path of negotiation to achieve peace in Ukraine accompany this choice. Andrea Riccardi, Community of Sant'Egidio, Rome, February 25, 2022 © Translation Italian, by Zenit