Pope Francis marked the 1,000th day of war in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion by sending to the Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine a letter weighted with recognition of the intolerable suffering and weary impasse of the war.

In the letter to Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, the Pope acknowledged the limitations of words to make amends for all the suffering that has occurred, as well as recognising how his own efforts to “initiate" peace have so far come to naught.

“I have been doing since the beginning of the invasion of this country, a heartfelt invocation to God, the only source of life, hope and wisdom, that he may convert hearts and enable them to initiate paths of dialogue, reconciliation and harmony,” Pope Francis said in the 19 November letter.

The Holy Father described how he is “well aware that no human words can protect their lives from daily bombings, console those mourning their dead, heal the wounded, bring children back home, free prisoners, mitigate the harsh effects of winter or restore justice and peace”.

He continued: “May the Lord comfort our hearts and strengthen the hope that, while gathering every tear shed and holding all accountable, he remains close to us even when human efforts seem fruitless and actions inadequate."

Over the weekend, Russia launched more than 200 missile and drones at Ukraine’s energy grid in the largest-scale attack for months.

Meanwhile, the United States has recently decided to allow US-supplied long-range missiles to be fired into Russia. In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine.

Speaking to the Ukrainian Parliament, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Putin’s latest actions prove Russia has no interest in peace.

“At this stage of the war, it is being decided who will prevail," Zelensky said. "Whether us over the enemy, or the enemy over us Ukrainians…and Europeans, and everyone in the world who wants to live freely and not be subject to a dictator."

Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, addressed the trauma and psychological impact of the the war, which he said has been “senseless and sacrilegious”.

“If we talk about emotions, on the one hand, there is a growing deep sense of pain. People are deeply wounded because, every day, we are forced to witness the terrible face of death and destruction,” Shevchuk told Vatican News.

“On the other hand, looking at how we have lived through the past thousand days, the prevailing feeling is hope – or rather, the virtue and capacity to hold onto hope. Because without hope, it is impossible to live in Ukraine today,” he continued.

“When we see how Ukrainian energy infrastructure workers start over and over again after each missile strike and repair the damage within hours, or how our doctors, despite the dangers, rescue people from destroyed homes and save lives – then, alongside the pain, there is hope. Hope arises from people of different professions, social groups and regions of Ukraine,” Shevchuk said.

The major archbishop described how when the war began, Ukrainians experienced “a deep shock”.

“Many psychologists and social scientists, as well as us, from a spiritual perspective, agree that this shock was a kind new beginning: in an instant, all human relationships were shattered, and everything we had understood, known and lived up to that point was destroyed,” Shevchuk said.

“This new beginning led to renewal because we had to rebuild our relationships, first with ourselves – each person had to ask, ‘Who am I? What should I do?’ All masks and appearances fell away, revealing the profound essence of humanity in both its greatness and fragility.