by Bishop James Conley
In late January, I walked with hundreds of young people from the Catholic Diocese of Lincoln as part of the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. One month later, I stood across the street from our Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln, shoulder to shoulder with members of the local Ukrainian community who were marking one year of war back in their homeland, following Russia’s invasion.
The two events were separated by 35 days and 1,200 miles, but both focused on the same theme: respect for life. The tone at the March for Life was one of hope after the overturning of Roe v. Wade last year. Yet that came after the loss of more than 60 million innocent pre-born lives in the past nearly 50 years, and their wounded mothers.
The Ukrainian prayer rally this week was also marked by hope—hope that 2023 would bring about an end to the conflict and the renewal of peace in the region. Yet, this full-scale Russian military invasion of Ukraine has already resulted in a devastating humanitarian crisis. More than 8,000 innocent civilians have died, and that is just the confirmed casualties; the actual total is likely much higher. More than 13,000 have been injured and more than 13 million Ukrainians have been displaced since the invasion.
“Rivers of blood and tears flow in Ukraine,” Pope Francis said last year, just weeks after the invasion. “The victims are more and more numerous, as are the people fleeing, especially mothers and children.”
Mothers and children are also those directly affected by abortion. In reality, though, the taking of innocent life affects each and every one of us around the world, whether it happens in a bombed-out apartment building in Karkiv, or in the womb of a young woman at an abortion clinic in Nebraska.
“All this is inhuman!” Pope Francis also said last year. “Indeed, it is also sacrilegious because it goes against the sacredness of human life, especially against defenseless human life, which should be respected and protected, not eliminated.”
Abortion and unjust war are both an affront to the most precious gift we have been given by our Creator—the gift of life. They are needless and result in the tragic loss of lives—people who will never be allowed to live and to reach their full God-given potential.
Yet, especially during this time of Lent, we must realize we are people of hope. We know Jesus Christ conquers all in the end. We have hope as we await the resurrection; Easter morning hope! The same kind of hope I saw in the eyes of the young people marching in D.C., and the same kind of hope I saw in the eyes of those praying for their Ukrainian homeland this past week in Lincoln.
Flowing from the Catholic Church’s teaching on the sanctity and dignity of human life, recognizing and affirming that every human being is created in the image and likeness of God, is a fundamental principle of Catholic social doctrine, the principle of “solidarity.” The principle of solidarity, a pillar of Catholic social doctrine, teaches that we have a responsibility and an obligation out of charity and friendship, to reach out to our neighbor in need, as a brother and sister in Christ. Like the Good Samaritan in the gospel, we cannot turn a blind eye to human suffering.
This is why over these past 12 months, Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Lincoln has reached out to more than 100 Ukrainian families here in Lincoln who have been displaced by the ravages of the war in Ukraine, and has provided aid in the areas of education, employment and basic resources through our refugee and resettlement program. With the help of a grant from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, we have been able to offer aid and assistance to our Ukrainian brothers and sisters, in a spirit of true solidarity and friendship. CSS is committed to continuing to reach out and do all we can to help our brothers and sisters in need. I am so proud of the leadership and staff at Catholic Social Services.
Through their Ukrainian Solidarity Fund, the Knights of Columbus have donated over $20 million to provide temporary shelter, food, medical supplies, clothing, religious supplies, and other humanitarian needs to our brothers and sisters in the Ukraine. The Knights of Columbus relief efforts in war-turn Ukraine are chronicled in a new documentary which began airing on ABC affiliates nationwide Feb. 26. God bless the Knights of Columbus!
At the Ukrainian prayer rally Feb. 25, I was truly moved by the faith and hope of the Ukrainian community. I am convinced that the primary reason why the Ukrainian nation has been able to resist this evil war of aggression is their faith in God. We have all witnessed the resilience of the Ukrainian people, their noble fight for freedom, democracy, and independence. As my brother in Christ, Oleg Stepanyuk, said in gratitude to the people of Nebraska at the prayer rally, “The support we’ve received is incredible. We’re thankful for that, but we want to remind people to continue to pray, continue to help those in great need in Ukraine.”
As the fighting continues in Ukraine, with no end in sight, we must remain people of hope. We have hope that we can secure legal protection for innocent children in the womb and spare their mothers the trauma of the abortion experience. We have hope that God can end this senseless war; end the tragic bloodshed, the destruction and the displacement of people in this beautiful country. We are people of hope because we are a people of faith.
The Church calls on us during Lent to focus on prayer, fasting and charity. Let us do all of that, especially for those in danger in Ukraine, and for those threatened by abortion. As Pope Francis said recently, “Peace requires before all else the defense of life.” In order to get that peace—peace for the most innocent lives in the womb, and peace for the innocent lives in Ukraine—we must continue our peaceful and prayerful battle for justice, for dignity, and the right to life for all.
Editor's Note: Read the bishop's prayer, see photos or watch the bishop's address on the Catholic Diocese of Lincoln YouTube channel
