ROME — Pope Francis denounced Russia’s “cruel and senseless war” on Ukraine Sunday, praying for Ukrainian victims and refugees.
“May there be peace for war-torn Ukraine, so sorely tried by the violence and destruction of the cruel and senseless war into which it was dragged,” the pontiff prayed in his yearly Easter Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world) blessing before a crowd of 50,000 in Saint Peter’s Square.
“In this terrible night of suffering and death, may a new dawn of hope soon appear!” he urged. “Let there be a decision for peace.”
The pope went on to condemn the aggression as an ongoing “flexing of muscles” while people are suffering.
“Please, let us not get used to war! Let us all commit ourselves to imploring peace, from our balconies and in our streets!” he said. “May the leaders of nations hear people’s plea for peace.”
Francis also reaffirmed his closeness to the people of Ukraine, without ever mentioning Russia by name.
“I hold in my heart all the many Ukrainian victims, the millions of refugees and internally displaced persons, the divided families, the elderly left to themselves, the lives broken and the cities razed to the ground,” he said.
Pope Francis blesses the olive branches as he leads the Palm Sunday mass in St. Peter Square at the Vatican on April 10, 2022. (FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP via Getty Images)
“I see the faces of the orphaned children fleeing from the war,” he continued. “As we look at them, we cannot help but hear their cry of pain, along with that of all those other children who suffer throughout our world,” among whom he expressly mentioned “those denied the right to be born” through abortion.
“Amid the pain of the war, there are also encouraging signs, such as the open doors of all those families and communities that are welcoming migrants and refugees throughout Europe,” Francis declared. “May these numerous acts of charity become a blessing for our societies, at times debased by selfishness and individualism, and help to make them welcoming to all.”
Our eyes, he said, “are incredulous on this Easter of war. We have seen all too much blood, all too much violence.”
“Our hearts, too, have been filled with fear and anguish, as so many of our brothers and sisters have had to lock themselves away in order to be safe from bombing,” he added.
“Today, more than ever, we hear echoing the Easter proclamation so dear to the Christian East: ‘Christ is risen! He is truly risen!’” he exclaimed.
“Today, more than ever, we need him, at the end of a Lent that has seemed endless,” he said.
“We need the crucified and risen Lord so that we can believe in the victory of love, and hope for reconciliation. Today, more than ever, we need him to stand in our midst and repeat to us: ‘Peace be with you!’ Only he can do it,” he declared.
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