Kyiv's historic cathedral damaged in Russian air strikes

(OSV News) -- Up to seven people were killed and up to 13 injured in a large-scale Russian drone attack on Kyiv and Odesa June 10, which also damaged the historic Holy Wisdom Cathedral, also known as St. Sophia Cathedral.

The five-hour assault, in which Russia fired more than 315 drones, was "one of the biggest" strikes on Ukraine's capital in the three-year war, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Ukrainian Culture Minister Mykola Tochytskyi said a blast damaged the cornice on the main apse of the cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which serves as the mother church of all Christians who trace their roots to ancient Rus, Catholics and Orthodox.

Grand Prince Volodymyr of Kyivan Rus' accepted Christianity in its Byzantine form in the 10th century. Construction of the cathedral began in the 11th century.

"Last night's massive drone attack -- the largest of the war -- struck at the heart of Ukraine: the Cathedral of the Holy Wisdom, also known as St. Sophia," said Metropolitan Borys A. Gudziak of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia.

"This sacred place has withstood invasions and communist persecution for a thousand years," he continued. "Like Notre Dame in Paris, St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City, and St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, St. Sophia holds unique spiritual symbolism and moral significance for the nation."

"Russia's invasion of Ukraine and relentless daily bombings spare nothing and no one," he said, noting the killing of innocent civilians. More than 4,000 schools and nearly 1,600 medical facilities and 236,000 residential buildings have been damaged or destroyed in this war, he reported.

Since the war began in February 2022, the Catholic Near East Welfare Association, or CNEWA, has partnered with church groups in Ukraine, including the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Caritas Ukraine, Ukrainian Catholic University and religious communities to provide food, medical care, shelter and psychological support, distributing more than $3.5 million in aid.

CNEWA, established in 1926 by Pope Pius XI to support the Eastern churches, administers the Pontifical Mission, which was founded as the Pontifical Mission for Palestine by Pope Pius XII in 1949 to care for Palestinian refugees. The mandate of the mission, which was subsequently placed under CNEWA’s direction, has been extended by several pontiffs to care for all those affected by war and poverty in the Middle East.

Archbishop Gudziak called for "those who understand" to pray for "a just, lasting peace" that "guarantees the safety of innocent people, the protection of their churches, their identity, and way of life, and the return of tens of thousands of abducted children."

The Ukrainian Council of Churches also issued a statement condemning the attack on the cathedral and appealing to "the entire civilized world to take all necessary measures to stop the barbarism perpetrated by the Russian Federation."

"Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, 670 churches and houses of worship have been destroyed or damaged," they wrote. "Sixty clergy members from various churches and religious organizations have been murdered by Russian invaders. Many priests and pastors have been illegally arrested and held in Russian captivity."

In Russian-occupied territory, "severe religious persecution continues," including "unlawful arrests and imprisonments of clergy from different confessions, the seizure of religious buildings for military and administrative use by the occupying forces, the closure of churches and prayer houses, total control over religious life, and attempts to manipulate it to support the occupation."

Vadym Kyrylenko, first deputy director general of the site, said the cathedral would be inspected and repaired. He said it was the first time the cathedral had been damaged during the Russian invasion of Ukraine that began in 2022. In 2023, UNESCO put the cathedral on a list of endangered World Heritage sites because of the threat of the Russian offensive.

Odesa's governor said the administrative building of an emergency medical station was "completely destroyed," according to Euronews, and a maternity hospital was damaged in the Russian attack.

A day earlier, Russia launched nearly 500 drones and 20 missiles at targets primarily in central and western Ukraine. Russia claimed the attacks were retaliation for the June 1 Ukrainian drone strikes that targeted several Russian air bases.

Shortly after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Catholic News Service reported the Ukrainian Catholic Archdiocese of Kyiv-Halych and the Ukrainian Embassy to the Holy See said they had received information that Russia planned air strikes on the cathedral.

At that time, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv-Halych had called on all Christians to pray for the holy site and had urged Russia "to refrain from this most horrific act of vandalism."

"May St. Sophia -- the wisdom of God -- illumine those who have considered committing this crime," Major Archbishop Shevchuk said.

The UNESCO World Heritage site says the cathedral "has preserved its ancient interiors, and the collection of mosaics and frescoes of the 11th century is unique for its integrity."'