Russians and Ukrainians come together at Orthodox parish to pray for peace

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, a message of peace has been posted at the entrance of this parish, dedicated to the Protection of the Mother of God.

"Our Orthodox community in Biarritz is a member of the ecumenical movement for the unity of all Christians, and is not a political or cultural institution. We all gather together to pray fraternally for peace," the statement says. 

Indeed, this Orthodox community has a special characteristic: it is multi-ethnic. "Our parishioners are French, Russian, Spanish, Georgian, Serbian, Moldavian, Romanian, Lebanese, and of other origins. Ukrainian parishioners represent 50% of our faithful," the pastor of the parish, Fr. George Ashkov, explained to Aleteia. He continued:

"Our Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew condemns this war. He prays that the Lord will enlighten the leaders of Russia so that they understand the tragic consequences of their decisions and actions. The Ecumenical Patriarch fraternally calls upon the Local Orthodox Churches to pray unceasingly for the Ukrainian people, for the victims of this war and for the establishment of peace and justice in Ukraine.”

It’s a call to which this priest responded without delay, and the parishioners responded whole-heartedly to his initiative. 

Ksenia, a parishioner, spoke to Aleteia:

"My heart and soul are torn with pain. The day the war broke out, I was afraid to sing in our choir, which brings together Russians and Ukrainians. I was afraid to talk with them. Like many Russians, I feel guilty for what is happening, even though deep down I know that I had nothing to do with it; I was not the one who made the decision to declare this war," she said. "In the end, I was very surprised to see that there was no aggression or hostility towards the Russians in our parish. On the contrary, our service last Sunday, when we prayed together on our knees for peace in Ukraine and for the end of the war, proves that we are all united in suffering. At the end of the service, a Ukrainian woman came to hug me.”

Another parishioner named Tatiana also spoke with Aleteia. Her parents and sisters live in Kharkiv. This city, located in the east of the country, has been bombed and assaulted by Russian troops. Despite this, this mother of five children does not blame all Russians. "I understand that the Russian people feel bad because they bear a pseudo-responsibility for the actions and decisions of one man. In these times of war, we must remain human. We are all God's children and God's children have no nationality. We must pray together for peace; we must unite in prayer.”

The parish of Biarritz is also active in sending medicines, medical equipment (bandages, wheelchairs, crutches, etc.) and financial donations to Ukraine, via the Dobro association (“kindness” in Russian), created by Tatiana two years ago to help an orphanage in Ukraine. "We keep sending minibuses to the border of Ukraine. There are many volunteers who come to help us. There’s a real surge of solidarity. Many people bring their donations to the church," explained Tatiana. 

Here is the prayer for peace composed by Fr. Ashkov from Orthodox and Catholic prayers (including one by St. John Paul II), which the parish of Biarritz recites every Sunday.