The Anglican archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba, on Saturday supported Pope Francis's call for prayer and fasting on March 2 — Ash Wednesday — for peace in Ukraine.

In an appeal to Anglicans on his blog, Makgoba also called for a high-level peace initiative, a ceasefire and dialogue.

“In the worldwide church we need an indaba theology, an ubuntu ethic, and action based on indaba and ubuntu to inform our interventions to end this sad war and the frightening prospect of nuclear escalation,” said Makgoba.

“I support Pope Francis's call for prayer and fasting on Ash Wednesday, and I call on Anglicans across Southern Africa to pray for Ukraine and Russia, to join others in praying, and to join calls for real indaba for the sake of those who suffer.”

During his general audience at the Vatican on Wednesday — the eve of Russia's invasion of Ukraine — Pope Francis said the country's plight caused him “great pain in my heart”.

He added: “Despite the diplomatic efforts over the past few weeks, increasingly alarming scenarios are opening up. Like me, many people throughout the world are feeling anguish and concern. Once again the peace of all is threatened by partisan interests.

“I would like all those who have the political responsibility to make a serious examination of conscience before God, who is the God of peace and not of war ... He wants us to be brothers and not enemies.

“I pray that all parties involved will refrain from any action that will cause even more suffering for people, destabilising coexistence among nations and undermining international law.”

Makgoba said he was writing his blog in New York, where he is due to preach on Sunday at the institution of the Rev Phil Jackson as rector of Trinity Church Wall Street, the original Anglican parish in Manhattan.

“Trinity have booked me into a hotel close to the church and overlooking the site of the World Trade Center, the destruction of which turned parish life upside down on and in the months that followed the attacks of September 11, 2001,” said Makgoba. 

“Looking out of my hotel window, it is misty, cold and rainy. Through the rain I can see the man-made waterfalls which plunge into the twin pools of the 9/11 Memorial, two dark pits left by the destruction of the twin towers and what they represented.

“As I contemplate the scene, I share a prayer for those who died, those who suffered and those who are still suffering because of those attacks and because of what precipitated them.

“Turning to the television, I watch CNN and see the coverage of the devastation in Ukraine as well as the mental and psychological devastation of Russia.

“I shiver at the prospects of fighting on the site of the Chernobyl former nuclear plant, where already military hardware is reported to be releasing radioactive dust into the air.

“As the world watches, we too share in the devastation, ultimately helpless to act in the face of more destruction and more death, able to respond only with rhetoric. I pray for Ukraine and Russia and in particular all their people.”

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