Pope Francis asked the faithful this Sunday to include the Ukrainian people “in their prayers, feelings and help”, in a new appeal on the war in Ukraine made this morning at the end of the Angelus prayer, in the Vatican.
“Let us not forget the martyred Ukrainian people, who suffer so much. Let’s show ourselves close with our feelings, help and prayer”, Francis said at the end of the Angelus, in St. Peter’s Square.
This new appeal from Pope Francis comes after a wave of Russian attacks this Saturday in several regions of Ukraine that have caused at least 26 deaths and 81 injuries, according to information from the Ukrainian president’s deputy chief of staff, Kyrylo Tymoshenko.
The Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said in an interview with the Italian channel Skytg24 that “the time has come for the Pope to visit Ukraine.”
“I think the time has come for the Pope to visit Ukraine and thus give a very clear signal that it is Russia that must stop what it has started. We appreciate all peace initiatives, including those put forward by the Pope,” the official said. .
Revealing that he has been in contact with the Vatican Secretary of State, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Andriy Yermak defended that “Russia must stop the offensive.”
“It is up to them to stop the conflict: they are killing civilians and destroying our infrastructure,” he added.
The military offensive launched by Russia against Ukraine on February 24, 2022 was condemned by the broader international community, which has responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and political and economic sanctions on Moscow.
The Russian invasion has so far caused the flight of more than 14 million people -6.5 million internally displaced persons and more than 7.9 million to European countries-, according to the latest data from the United Nations, which catalogs this crisis of refugees as the worst in Europe since the Second World War (1939-1945).
The United Nations considers 6,952 civilians dead and 11,144 wounded, stressing that these figures are far below the real ones.
Source: TSF
