Pope Francis has appealed to the Russian President to stop the “spiral of violence and death” in Ukraine. This is the first such direct appeal since the beginning of Russian aggression. He also called on the Ukrainian president to be “open to serious peace proposals”.
The Pope explained that, because of the course of the war in Ukraine, he had decided to dedicate entire reflections before the Angelus prayer to it.
“What must still happen, how much blood must still be shed, so that we understand that war is never a solution but destruction?” the Pope asked.
“The recent events in Ukraine are actions contrary to the principles of international law,” the Pope stressed.
Francis said before the Angelus prayer at the Vatican that the “grave situation provoked in recent days” increases the “risk of nuclear escalation” to the point of fearing consequences that will get out of hand and be catastrophic on a global scale