Pope Francis could not hold back tears as he spoke of the war in the “martyred” Ukraine during a public ceremony Thursday afternoon in central Rome.
On the occasion of the traditional ceremony of homage to the Virgin Mary during the feast of the Immaculate Conception, a public holiday in Italy, the Pope approached the vicinity of the Plaza de España in the middle of the afternoon in front of the statue of the Virgin installed in the top of a column.
“Oh Immaculate Virgin, I would have liked to bring you today the gratitude of the Ukrainian people…”, he declared, reading his speech standing up, before interrupting himself, broken by emotion.
under the applause
With his body trembling, the crying Pope then remained silent for long seconds, then the crowd present warmly applauded him.
Then, he resumed the thread of his speech, leaning on the arm of his chair but remaining standing: “… from the Ukrainian people for the peace that we have been asking the Lord for a long time.”
“On the other hand, I must present to you again,” he continued, his voice still altered by emotion, “the plea of children, of the elderly, of fathers and mothers, of the young people of this tormented land that suffers so much.” . much”.
Already in his public Angelus prayer at noon in Saint Peter’s Square, the Pope had evoked “the universal desire for peace, especially for the martyred Ukraine that suffers so much.”
The pope has tirelessly advocated for peace since the start of the Russian invasion in February, a topic he regularly raises in his speeches.
Source: BFM TV
