Pope Francis called the suffering of the civilian population in Ukraine an inhuman cruelty and an attack on the sanctity of human life in the speech he delivered in St. Peter's Square on Sunday.
In his words after the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis spoke at length about the war in Ukraine, above all expressing his pain over the continuation of "violent aggression".
The head of the Catholic Church spoke of "senseless killing, daily repeated destruction and atrocity", for which "there is no justification".
The Pope called for the action of all actors of the international community in order to stop the "repulsive" war. He noted that "missiles and bombs are falling on civilians: the elderly, children, pregnant women." He remembered the millions of Ukrainians forced to flee, as well as those who "have no chance to escape (..) and are left to die under the bombs without help and protection, even in shelters."
Pope Francis spoke of inhumane and sacrilegious cruelty that violates the sanctity of human life. He said that on Saturday he visited the Child Jesus Roman Children's Hospital near the Vatican, where he met children wounded in the war.
The Pope said that the only consolation for him is that their pastors, Catholic priests and nuns, with whom he is in contact by phone, remained with the population suffering under the bombs.
"Let us be close to the martyred people with a concrete commitment," asked Pope Francis, who says that we must avoid the danger of "getting used to war and violence", just as we must not get "tired" of acceptance either.
He especially advocated the protection of children and women, to avoid them falling into the clutches of "vultures" in our societies.
The Pope reminded that on March 25, the day of the Blessed Virgin Mary, he will offer Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary.
At the same time as the papal ceremony held in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, papal chief almsman, will make the same offering in Fatima as the pope's delegate.
According to data from the Vatican security service, 30,000 people listened to Pope Francis' speech on Sunday in and around Saint Peter's Square, which is the highest number since the beginning of the coronavirus epidemic in February 2020.
MTI/vasarnap.hu
Featured image: Vatican News
