Pope Francis on Sunday called an end to the violence Russian President Vladimir Putin has been inflicting against Ukraine, as the invasion rages on killing innocent children and unarmed citizens.
The Pope made the plea during his Sunday Angelus at Rome's St. Peter's Square, Vatican News reported. His statements come out of a great concern for Mariupol, east of Ukraine, becoming "a city of martyrs in the terrible war." The pontiff condemned the barbarity of the Russian military that is turning the cities of Ukraine into cemeteries.
"With pain in my heart, I join my voice to that of the common people, who implore an end to the war," Pope Francis said.
"In the name of God, let the cries of those who suffer be heard and let the bombings and attacks cease! Let there be a real and decisive focus on negotiation, and let the humanitarian corridors be effective and safe. In the name of God, I ask you: stop this massacre!" He pleaded.
The Pope then called on the faithful to increase their efforts in praying for peace, raising that God is not a God of war but peace. He stressed that those who support violence do nothing but profane the name of God. He then invited everyone gathered at the square to some moments of silence to pray for the victims of the war and to pray for peace.
The battle of capturing Kyiv persisted over the weekend as Russian forces subjected the Ukrainian military to intense fighting. Ukrainian soldiers were desperately holding the Russian forces from entering their checkpoint while tanks attempted to come into the city.
Meanwhile, 30 rockets were fired by the Russian military against a military site--the Yavoriv base--in Poland, leaving 35 people dead and 134 injured. The attack on the NATO site is said to intensify the conflict to an international level and is feared to lead to the third World War.
Pope Francis underscored on Sunday that God can never be used to justify violence, alluding to claims made by Putin that part of his reason for launching the full invasion against Ukraine was due to religion.
The Holy See, through his Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, expressed his readiness to mediate between Russia and Ukraine. Parolin said that Putin has not shown any indication that he would like to accept the opportunity of such a mediation. The cardinal emphasized what matters most now is that a way be found to put an end to the conflict happening in Ukraine.
Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk said last month that the presence of Pope Francis in Ukraine would probably ease tensions between Russia since they regard him as a "messenger of peace." Shevchuk's statements came a few weeks before Putin launched the invasion.
Last week, Pope Francis has sent Dicastery for Promoting Integral Development Prefect Cardinal Michael Czerny to Poland to meet Ukrainian refugees on his behalf. The pontiff would like the refugees to feel his closeness to them in a concrete, personal way, after stating his understanding of the trauma they have experienced from fleeing their homeland because of war.
The pontiff then, during his Angelus message, expressed his appreciation to all countries who have opened their doors to the Ukrainian refugees. He thanked all those who are assisting to their needs. He praised the network of solidarity that responded to the millions of Ukrainian refugees, to whom he said "Christ is present."
