Photo: YARA NARDI/REUTERS / Deutsche Welle
Pope Francis asked again this Sunday (24.04.61499252) a truce in Ukraine and the cessation of the attacks against “exhausted populations”, on the occasion of the Orthodox Easter that is celebrated on this day. Likewise, he prayed for courage so that the whole world defends peace, and called on political leaders, without directly naming any, so that they listen to the people, who want an end to the conflict.
“I ask everyone to pray for peace and to have the courage to say that peace is possible. That the political leaders listen, please, to the voice of the people who want peace and not an escalation of the conflict”, said the Argentine Jorge Mario Bergoglio, after the recitation of the Regina Coeli, which replaces the Angelus in the Easter period.
Francisco took advantage of the occasion to recall that two months have passed since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “Far from stopping, the war has intensified. It is sad that on these days, which are the holiest and most solemn for all Christians, the deadly noise of weapons is heard more than the bells announcing the Resurrection. And it’s sad that guns are taking the place of the word,” he lamented. “I reiterate the call for an Easter truce, a minimal and tangible sign of a desire for peace,” he added.
Will not visit kyiv for a higher good
This Sunday’s mass was celebrated in front of thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square. Some Ukrainian flags could be seen in the crowd. The pope has given up his original idea of visiting kyiv, and will also not meet with the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, who has justified Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and with whom the pontiff maintains a “very good relationship.”
Francisco said in an interview with the Argentine newspaper La Nación, regarding his frustrated trip to the Ukrainian capital, that he cannot “do anything that puts higher objectives at risk, which are the end of the war, a truce or, at least , a humanitarian corridor”. On April 17, the Catholic leader already called for an “Easter truce to achieve peace through real negotiations”, and on Thursday he joined the call for a truce by the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres.
DZC (EFE, AFP)