The pontiff called on Putin to stop the war.
Pope Francis on Sunday expressed his regret about < strong>annexation of the territory of Ukraine by Russia and called on the Russian president to stop the war, and the Ukrainian president to be open to negotiations.
“I deeply regret the serious situation that has arisen in recent days, with subsequent actions that contradict the principles of international law. This increases the risk of nuclear escalation, giving rise to fears of uncontrollable and catastrophic consequences around the world,” he said during Sunday's Angelus prayer.
In his reflections, the Pope called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to “stop this spiral of violence and death”, and the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, “to be open to serious proposals for peace”.
He also called on the international community to “do everything possible to end the war without allowing ourselves to be drawn into a dangerous escalation” and to support any efforts to resolve the conflict through dialogue.
“It is sad that the world is studying geography of Ukraine under such names as Bucha, Irpin, Mariupol, Izyum, Zaporizhzhia and other places that have become places of indescribable suffering and fear. And what can be said about the fact that humanity has once again faced an atomic threat? This is absurd.
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What else has to happen? How much more blood must be spilled before we understand that war is not a solution to the problem, but only destruction? My appeal is primarily addressed to the President of the Russian Federation; I urge him to stop this spiral of violence and death, in particular for the sake of love for his people. On the other hand, saddened by the immeasurable suffering of the Ukrainian people as a result of the aggression, I equally confidently appeal to the President of Ukraine calling him to be open to serious peace proposals. After seven months of military action, let us use all diplomatic means, even those that may not have been used so far, to put an end to this terrible tragedy. War in itself is a mistake and a horror!” Francis said in his speech, vaticannews.va reports.
For the first time since the beginning of Moscow's invasion on February 24, the Argentine father directly addressed the Russian leader in his speech.
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Earlier it was reported that the Pope planned a trip to Ukraine this fall, but later decided to postpone it due to knee problems.
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