Pope Francis again on Wednesday launched a call for an end to “this monstrosity of war” in Ukraine and invited a group of Ukrainian refugees to take a photo with him in the Paul VI classroom box, at the end of the general audience.
Pope Francis wanted to send a “special greeting” to the Ukrainian children who have been welcomed by the Italian Foundation Aiutiamoli a vivere and by the ibPuer association, with the collaboration of the Ukrainian embassy to the Holy See, following the outbreak of war in the country on February 24 due to the invasion of Russia.
The occasion served the pontiff, who had nothing prepared, to launch a new appeal against “this monstrosity of war” and to “renew the prayers to stop this savage cruelty that is war”.
“Let us strive to always be close to those who suffer, to those who are alone, to the weak who suffer violence and have no one to defend them,” he added.
Francis then invited the women and children, some babies, who had come from Ukraine escaping the war to take a photo together in the auditorium box.
Last Sunday, the Argentine pontiff again condemned this conflict and all wars, and said: “Humanity understands that the time has come to abolish war, to cancel it from the history of man before it is she who cancels man from history.”
(With information from EFE)
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