St Patrick’s College Maynooth strongly condemns the unprecedented, unprovoked and unjustified attack by the Russian Federation on Ukraine, its institutions and its people. We express our prayerful solidarity and closeness with the students and staff of the Catholic Seminary of Ivano-Frankivsk and the Catholic University of Lviv, a member of the European Federation of Catholic Universities.

The military violence perpetrated cannot be justified by the arguments put forward by President Putin and poses a strong challenge to the peaceful coexistence of nations worldwide. We share the anguish and the horror of so many believers of freedom, democracy, human rights and international law at the unfolding atrocities, the senseless loss of human life, the indiscriminate suffering inflicted on innocent people and the cruel displacement of many Ukrainians from their homes and homeland.

We echo the sentiments of Pope Francis: "Every war leaves our world worse than it was before. War is a failure of politics and of humanity, a shameful capitulation, a stinging defeat before the forces of evil." We support the call of Pope Francis to all Christians and people of good will to respond with the ‘weakness of prayer and fasting’ against the lethal powers of death and destruction unleashed by this invasion and occupation on Ash Wednesday, 2 March.

We join our voices all the whole world calling for an immediate end to this war and a resumption of diplomatic efforts to find a peaceful and just resolution. We call on our political leaders in Ireland and Europe to impose meaningful, real, hard-hitting sanctions that will rapidly undermine the Russian military assault.

In this dark hour for humanity and Europe, we salute the heroic people of Ukraine in their brave struggle and stand against this barbaric invasion of their beloved country. With all who promote peace, justice and freedom, we embrace the Ukrainian nation.