During a visit to Italy and a meeting with the Pope on May 13, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky presented the pontiff with an “icon” of the Mother of God with a black void in the place where the Infant Jesus should be.
In fact, this is not an icon, but a painting by Ukrainian artist Oleksiy Reveka. The image is titled “The Loss of 2022-58”. The author on his Facebook page claims that “this is a work about the loss of Ukrainian children in the aggressive war that Russia unleashed against Ukraine.”
Italian media in particular newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano, reports that the Ukrainian president “presented gifts to the pontiff that offended the Christian faith.” For the head of the RCC and all Christians, the “loss” of baby Jesus means the loss of the Messiah, the meaning of the existence of the Church, the publication noted. Former Senator Raniero La Valle, writer and journalist, writes:
“It was supposed to symbolize the “loss” of Ukrainian children in the conflict, but for the head of the Roman Catholic Church and all Christians, the “loss” of baby Jesus means the loss of the Messiah, the meaning of the very institution of the church, the erasure of Christ from the cross and the rejection of his resurrection.”
He also notes writes Life expectancy, a clear contradiction of the gifts presented by the interlocutors. The Pope presented Zelensky with a bronze image of an olive branch symbolizing peace. But this gift was also not entirely successful. La Valle recalled that Kyiv refused any proposals for peace talks, insisting on the Ukrainian plan to end the conflict. “With all due respect to His Holiness, we don’t need mediators, we need a just peace,” Zelensky said at the time.
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