Russian forces have driven out all Greek and Roman Catholic clergy from the occupied areas of Ukraine, said the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

A July 8 attack by Russia on a children's hospital and other civilian targets throughout Ukraine is "a sin that cries out to heaven for revenge," said the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

Pope Francis prayed in thanksgiving for the release of two Ukrainian Catholic priests who were held in Russian captivity for more than 19 months, calling on Christians to pray for the release of all prisoners of war.

Two disappeared Ukrainian Greek Catholic priests seized by Russian forces from their church in Berdyansk in November 2022 are possibly in a Russian-operated labor camp in occupied Ukraine, according to a human rights information service.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, said allowing Ukraine to use NATO weapons to attack military targets in Russia would lead to "an escalation that no one will be able to control anymore."

Bishop Bryan Bayda, who leads the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Toronto and Eastern Canada, said God guided him on where to go and whom to meet during his February visit to war-torn Ukraine.

The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church recently met with Ukrainian military officials to discuss a range of issues, including Russia's detention of two Ukrainian Catholic priests whose fate remains unknown.

Pope Francis sat down exclusively with "CBS Evening News" anchor Norah O'Donnell on April 24 for an interview ahead of the Vatican's inaugural World Children's Day. The CBS interview marks the first time a pope has given an in-depth, one-on-one interview to a U.S. broadcast network, according to the network.

The head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church has insisted his countrymen will "never surrender" to Russia's invasion and that the pope's recent call for a negotiation of terms with Moscow was "deeply hurtful" for his nation.

Ukraine’s Greek Catholic bishops, led by Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, have said their nation will continue to fight Russian aggression, “notwithstanding the suggestions for (the) need for negotiations coming from representatives of different countries, including the Holy Father himself.”

Two years ago, Iryna Chaikovska, her husband and three children moved out of their apartment into a house near Bucha and Irpin in the Kyiv Oblast of northern Ukraine.

‘Purgatory’ for Ukraine as it battles through a decade of Russian onslaught

Canada’s Catholic bishops have joined Christian counterparts in marking the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with an invitation for all to join in praying for peace. 

Plans to dramatically cut welfare benefits for refugees from Ukraine who flee to Ireland to avoid Russia's war are causing anxiety, according to a priest who works with the new arrivals. Officials in Dublin say that they want to "slow" the number of people arriving from Ukraine.

When Ukraine's embattled citizens gather this Christmas, their rich festivities will feel symbolically different -- as the festival is celebrated for the first time on Dec. 25, in line with the Western calendar.