Pope Francis called on Sunday for the leaders of nations to “listen” to the cry for peace in an “Easter of War” in which he referred to a Ukraine “martyred” by the conflict.
“We have seen too much blood, too much violence,” the pope said in his traditional “Urbi et Orbi” blessing before some 50,000 faithful in St. Peter’s Square in Rome.
The Argentine pope asked the faithful not to “get used to wars.”
“Let us all commit ourselves to calling for peace with a powerful voice, from the balconies and in the streets,” he exhorted the crowd, which responded with applause.
The spiritual leader of some 1.3 billion Catholics has been insisting for weeks on the need for peace in Ukraine, after the invasion suffered by the country since February 24 by Russian troops.
“I carry in my heart the numerous Ukrainian victims, the millions of refugees and internally displaced people, to divided families, to the elderly left alone, to shattered lives and razed cities,” the pontiff said.
The pope also celebrated that “in the midst of pain” there is no lack of “hopeful signs, like the open doors of so many families and communities that welcome migrants and refugees throughout Europe”
Pope Francis greets the Christian faithful from the popemobile car after the Easter mass on April 17, 2022 in Saint Peter’s Square in the Vatican./Photo: AFP
They help Pope Francis to walk during the Easter mass on April 17, 2022 in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican.
Parishioners hold a Ukrainian flag during the Pope’s Easter mass in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican./Photo: AFP
Pope Francis delivers the Easter blessing “Urbi et Orbi” from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica overlooking St. Peter’s Square on April 17, 2022 at the Vatican./Photo: AFP
