Pope Francis made a special appeal for peace in Ukraine and had no hestitations asking for it from the person responsible: President Vladimir Putin.
POPE FRANCIS
My appeal is addressed above all to the president of the Russian Federation, whom I beg to stop, also for the love of his people, this spiral of violence and death.
The Pope prays the Angelus every Sunday with the pilgrims present and reflects on the Gospel of the day. On this occasion, however, he dedicated his words to calling for an end to war.
He did not mention the controversial referendums or Putin's annexation of Ukrainian territories. But he directly called for respect of the life and territorial integrity of each country.
POPE FRANCIS
I deeply deplore the grave situation that has arisen in recent days, with further actions contrary to the principles of international law. It increases the risk of nuclear escalation, giving rise to fears of uncontrollable and catastrophic consequences worldwide.
The Pope did not only speak to Putin but also to President Zelensky—he asked him to be open to the peace proposals presented to him.
Following the Angelus, Pope Francis repeated his messages via Twitter.
JRB TR: AT
