ROME (dpa-AFX) – The Pope has once again called for an end to the war in Ukraine with decisive words: “In God’s name, I beg you: Stop this massacre!” Speaking to around 25,000 believers in St. Peter’s Square in Rome, Francis said, visibly moved, that his heart was in pain and that he joined those calling for an end to the fighting.
The head of the Catholic Church pointed out that the Blessed Mother Mary had been addressed during the Angelus prayer this Sunday. And just in recent days, Mariupol in Ukraine has become a “city of martyrs in this terrible war.” The city on the Black Sea has been heavily bombed by the Russian armed forces for days – the shelling of a maternity clinic in particular triggered international outrage.
No strategic considerations could justify “the barbarism, the killing of children, innocent and defenseless civilians,” the pontiff stressed. The weapons must rest quickly, “before the cities become cemeteries”. Francis thanked the states and many volunteers who are helping the refugees from Ukraine.
Russia was not named by Francis, as it had been since the beginning of the conflict. The Vatican offers itself as a peace mediator. It seems difficult that the church will be successful with its attempts at diplomacy. The Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill in Moscow has recently repeatedly defended President Vladimir Putin’s actions and blamed the West for the escalation in Ukraine./msw/DP/he