The pontiff made an urgent appeal to world leaders for peace talks to begin. “Do not lead mankind to ruin,” the Holy Father warned the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
The pope urged “negotiations and concrete talks for a ceasefire”. He commemorated the many people who have to leave their homes in Ukraine and warned of an “escalation that is becoming more and more dangerous”. Pope Francis wants to travel to Ukraine, but is waiting for “the right moment”. He will soon speak to the Ukrainian authorities to see if this is possible, he said on Saturday afternoon. A visit by the Pope is also considered sensitive because of the relationship with the Russian Orthodox Church. Moscow Patriarch Kirill is considered one of the most important supporters of Russia’s ruler Vladimir Putin in his war against Ukraine.
The pontiff also welcomed the extension of the ceasefire in civil war-torn Yemen by two more months and expressed the hope that the “bloody conflict” that had caused “one of the worst humanitarian crises of our time” would soon come to an end. He commemorated the many children who are suffering in the Yemen conflict and are being robbed of their future.
Source: Nachrichten
