Bishop Alan McGuckian SJ, chair of the Bishops’ Council for Justice and Peace, has published the following statement asking for prayers for the people of Ukraine: “We keep the people of Ukraine in our prayers at this time. We also hold in prayer all leaders who have a duty to return to the table of peacebuilding in this time of great anxiety and challenge for all of Europe and particularly the peoples of the countries involved. “This is the first invasion in Europe since 1945. Indeed, until a few weeks ago it seemed unthinkable that any country would be invaded by another. It makes us realise how much we take peace for granted.”