Ukrainian artist Yama Targonya handed over to Pope Francis a blue and yellow dove of peace, which she made on a piece of stained glass from the Church of St. Nicholas in Kyiv, which suffered as a result of a Russian attack on December 20, 2024. This was reported by the press service of the Roman Catholic Church of Ukraine, according to UNN.
Details
It is noted that on December 24, in the morning, on the way to Kharkiv, the head of the Dicastery for the Works of Mercy, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, visited the Church of St. Nicholas.
He began his visit to the church with a prayer for a just peace in Ukraine and for the return of the church to the parish, the transfer of which was announced by the Ukrainian authorities to Pope John Paul II in 2001.
The Cardinal, accompanied by the Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine, Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, then inspected the damage to the church caused by the Russian strike on Friday, December 20. In particular, he examined the shards of glass from the church facade that were saved by the parish.
One of the parishioners of the church, artist Yana Targonya, presented Holy Father Francis with a drawing in the colors of the Ukrainian flag of the dove of peace, made on broken glass, with the inscription "a piece of stained glass, from the facade of the Church of St. Nicholas on December 20, 2024."
In turn, Yuriy Tandit, chairman of the church's board of trustees, noted that this dove by the Ukrainian artist is "a part of our heart, which is filled with love, suffering, and drops of Jesus Christ's blood.
At the same time, the rector of the church, Father Pavlo Vyshkovsky, said that despite the destruction, the Christmas services will take place on December 24 and 25.
Recall
As a result of a Russian missile attack on Kyiv , the Church of St. Nicholas was damaged, with the towers and stained glass windows of the church damaged. The attack killed one person and injured about ten.