Ukrainians ‘walking through the valley of the shadow of death’, church leaders say

This year's Holy Week is being "overshadowed by the darkness of war and conflict in Ukraine, " Ireland's church leaders have said in their Easter message.

“Families, who a matter of months ago were getting on with their everyday lives, are now literally walking through the valley of the shadow of death.”

The churches noted how, through the media, people have witnessed “the murder and mutilation of innocent civilians, the destruction of homes, shops and hospitals, and the displacement of millions of people”.

"We stand united as Church Leaders in Ireland, with a message of support for the people of Ukraine," they said. "As we did when faced with conflict here in our own land, we call for people to pray for peace, to reach out to support the injured and bereaved, and to do all that they can to help and support the victims of unnecessary suffering."

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Church services

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Thinking Anew – The Passion of the Christ

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They prayed that those who were “intent on war, whose hearts are filled with hatred, may be transformed by the love of God”.

Meanwhile, all the people who died in the Northern Ireland conflict will be remembered at Dublin's Unitarian Church from noon on Good Friday, when the names of each of the almost 3,600 people who died between 1966 and 2019 are to be read out.

The event has become an annual ceremony of sorts but was suspended in 2020 and last year due to pandemic resteictions. All members of the public are welcome to attend. It usually concludes by 3pm.

It is the only religious service of its kind in Ireland and begins with John Patrick Scullion, a Catholic storeman shot in May 1966 by the UVF in west Belfast, and ending with Lyra McKee, a journalist killed in April 2019 by the so-called New IRA in Derry.

Rev Bridget Spain, minister of the Dublin Unitarian Church, is to open and conclude the service with a prayer.