Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Pope's secretary of state, entrusted to St. Rita of Cascia the cause of negotiations for peace in Ukraine.
The cardinal turned to this saint of "impossible causes" when he celebrated Mass on her feast day, May 22, in her hometown of Cascia, Italy.
Vatican News reported that he prayed, "In this land of faith and peace, here in Umbria, I hope that negotiations will begin as soon as possible and that we can finally reach the much needed peace."
Saint Rita of Cascia, Cardinal Parolin affirmed, is a symbol of the "virtue of forgiveness, peace, and charity," and to her we give homage and place in her hands our human weakness.
Saint Rita died on May 22, 1457, and was canonized in 1900. Almost immediately after her death, she began to be associated with miracles. Her incorrupt remains are enshrined in a basilica dedicated in her honor in Cascia.
Useless spiral
Cardinal Parolin turned to her prayer: "I entrust the many intentions of the Holy Father Francis, who does not cease to make his voice heard daily so that the useless spiral of death in Ukraine may be broken as soon as possible."
Violence is never the answer, and as the life events of the humble woman of Roccaporena teach us, explained Cardinal Parolin, it "never resolves conflicts but only increases their dramatic consequences."
"We experience this every day and I wonder why we cannot see from history and current events that using violence only worsen problems," he said.
