Rome Pope Francis called for peace in Ukraine on Sunday, warning that the conflict could lead to nuclear war.
He continued his practice since the beginning of the war, lamenting the effects of the invasion of Ukraine without naming Russia as the aggressor.
“May peace be for war-torn Ukraine, so badly tried by the violence and destruction of the brutal and senseless war in which it dragged on. In this dreadful night of sorrow and death, may a new dawn of hope soon appear , “They said.
The Pope made his remarks in his annual Easter message “for the city”. [of Rome] and the world,” in which he generally surveys wars and humanitarian crises around the world.
Calling for peace in Ukraine, Pope Francis outlined the danger of nuclear escalation, quoting the philosopher Bertrand Russell and scientist Albert Einstein’s 1955 manifesto, which warned of the danger posed by nuclear weapons: “Can we Will put an end to it. Mankind, or will mankind give up the war?”
The Pope spoke to the crowd in the square below from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, where he had celebrated Mass earlier in the morning. This was their first Easter celebration since 2019. In 2020 and 2021, they celebrated Easter Mass inside the basilica, the first time without any congregation and the second time with a small group of believers, due to COVID-19 restrictions.
After Mass this year, the Pope rode in the open-topped Popemobile to circle the enthusiastic crowds in St. Peter’s Square and the adjoining Via della Conciliazione.
In his remarks, Pope Francis compared this return to normalcy with the outbreak of war.
“We emerged from a two-year pandemic that caused enormous destruction. It was time to come out of the tunnel together, hand in hand, accumulating their strength and resources. Instead, we are showing that we still do not have the spirit of Jesus, that we still have the spirit of Cain, who saw Abel not as a brother, but as a rival, and wondered how be abolished,” said the Pope.
Christians in Ukraine have in the past described the pope’s description of its conflict with Russia as “fraternal” or civil war, which they say underpins Russian aggression. Last week, leaders of Ukraine’s Catholic minority joined the protest against the country’s ambassador to the Vatican at a Good Friday ceremony led by Pope Francis, in which a Russian woman and a Ukrainian woman cross together praying for peace.
On Sunday, the pope condemned the suffering of Ukrainians, including refugees and the elderly. He paid particular attention to Ukrainian children, whose plight he reminded of children suffering worldwide abuse, hunger and lack of medical care, “and those denied the right to be born by abortion”.
Minutes after his remarks, the Pope stopped to sit, though he rose again to give his final blessing. Pope, 85, who suffers from sciatic nerve pain and swelling in his right knee, walked with difficulty during Mass.
Pope Francis spoke briefly at other global hot spots, including Jerusalem, where more than 150 people were injured on Friday in clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters around the city’s Al Aqsa Mosque.
“Experience the beauty of peace with Israelis, Palestinians and all pilgrims living in the Holy City, living in brotherhood and enjoying free access to holy places in mutual respect for the rights of each,” the Pope said.
Thousands of pilgrims have flocked to Jerusalem’s Old City as important holy days for Jews, Christians and Muslims—Passover, Easter and Ramadan—overlap for the first time in nearly three decades.