Archbishop Cushley and Fr Vasyl Kren prayed for peace tonight (Wednesday) at Our Lady of Pochayev and St Andrew's in Edinburgh.

Around 100 people attended the Ukrainian Catholic Church in a show of spiritual support, some of them making donations of clothes, medicine and cash at the Dalmeny Street building.

Archbishop Cushley said: "It is surely a terrible burden, and we want to share it with you, first by being here.

"But the last thing we should do when we come to church is to be here as a protest, or a demonstration, or as virtue signalling.

"What we do best when we come into God’s house is, humbly and silently, to bow our heads before almighty God; to remember those we love and care for; and to hold them in prayer before Him.

"Because when we come to God’s house, we look for a word of comfort, of love, of peace. Outside, we work and struggle for peace; in here, we implore God for His peace."

He added: "My dear friends, our God is a God who saves. In this dark moment for us all, let us comfort each other and our Ukrainian friends with the assurances of our faith, and let us implore the Lord with all our hearts for a return to peace and charity, in Ukraine and among all the world’s peoples."

The prayer service follows Pope Francis' call to make Ash Wednesday a day of prayer and fasting for peace in Ukraine and other conflicts across the world.

Fr Kren, parish priest at Our Lady of Pochayiv & St Andrew's, spoke recently following the outbreak of war in his home country.