“They took everything they could. Kitchen utensils, washing machines, computers, and air conditioners. The seminarians’ rooms were ransacked and they took liturgical items, including a chalice donated by St. John Paul II when he visited Ukraine in 2001,” Mikhalkiv said.
Priests and students evacuated the seminary after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. They found refuge in a neighboring diocese.
Russian troops are believed to have looted the seminary in mid-March. According to local witnesses, the soldiers spent two nights at the site.
After the Russians abandoned the area, a small group led by Father Mikhalkiv returned to the seminary, near the city of Bucha.
The priest previously described how he discovered a shattered statue of Our Lady of Fatima in the seminary dining room. After considering various theories about how it was damaged, he said he “had the impression that it had been a blow from the devil to the Blessed Virgin Mary.” He linked the damage to the worldwide act of consecration of Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which took place around the same time.
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