Pope Francis on Sunday pleaded with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the “spiral of violence” in Ukraine, while criticizing the annexation of territories as “contrary to international law”.
In the blessing of the Angelus, in St. Peter’s Square, the Pope addressed the President of the Russian Federation, also out of love for his people, to end the “spiral of violence and death”.
It is the first time since the start of the conflict on February 24 that the Pope addresses the Russian president directly in one of his speeches. The pope also mentioned for the first time Russia’s annexations of Ukrainian territories, deploring the measure and recommending “respect for the territorial integrity of each country”.
“I deeply regret the serious situation that has arisen in recent days, with new actions contrary to the principles of international law,” he said, before adding that this “increases the risk of a nuclear escalation” and evokes fear of “uncontrollable and catastrophic consequences for the world”.
The Pope also called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to “be open to serious peace proposals”.
Source: DN
