Pope Francis criticizes Ukraine War in Easter message as he calls for Israel-Palestine peace
KUMASI, 17th April, (Futball Surgery)– Pope Francis has touched on two current global conflicts in the Middle East and Eastern Europe in his Easter message. First was his condemnation of the Ukrainian war launched by Russia in February this year.
The world religious figure also talked about Israel and Palestine conflict saying the two historical countries should settle for peace in the Middle East.
Related Post
Pope Francis has criticized the war in Ukraine as a “cruel and senseless” conflict. In his Easter “Urbi et Orbi” address he also called for reconciliation among Israelis and Palestinians, and in other conflict zones.
Pope Francis lamented what he called an “Easter of war” in his annual address on Sunday, and implicitly criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin.
While Francis has yet to publicly condemn the Russian leader by name, his denunciations of the war in Ukraine have grown stronger.
What did the pope say?
In his annual “Urbi et Orbi” address, the pontiff made an anguished appeal for peace and called and talked about the “troubling” risk of nuclear warfare.
“May there be peace for war-torn Ukraine, so sorely tried by the violence and destruction of this cruel and senseless war into which it was dragged,” Francis said from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Square.
The pope had earlier celebrated mass in the square, which was packed with worshipers for the Easter ceremony for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020.
In a reference to the threat of nuclear warfare, the pope cited a declaration made by scientists in 1955.
“Shall we put an end to the human race, or shall mankind renounce war?” he said, quoting the Russell Einstein Manifesto.
He called for peace between Israelis and Palestinians, and urged the world to remember other regions hit by conflict and poverty. Among them, he cited Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Libya as well as Yemen which, he said, “suffers from a conflict forgotten by all.”
“May the conflict in Europe also make us more concerned about other situations of conflict, suffering and sorrow, situations that affect all too many areas of our world, situations that we cannot overlook and do not want to forget,” the pope said.
Hopes of dialogue with Russian patriarch
While Francis has blasted the “potentate” for his “infantile and destructive aggression,” in Ukraine, he has so far not named Putin in his criticism.
It is understood that Francis is seeking to keep open a dialogue with Russian Orthodox Church leader Patriarch Kirill.
Earlier this month, the pope said he was working on a possible meeting with Kirill, possibly at a location in the Middle East.
Kirill, a close ally of Putin, has sought to cast the war as a “metaphysical” battle with the West and urged supporters to rally against Moscow’s “external and internal enemies.”
He has insisted that Russians and Ukrainians are “one people,” a notion shared by Putin.
Francis and Kirill met once before — at Havana airport in 2016 — in what was the first meeting between a pope and Russian patriarch in more than a millennium.
As the world is digitally evolving, information grounded in science, truth and experience is very essential for healthy life and human sustainability. By that we are very committed to bringing you other important touched news that will best suit your health, entertainment, political, showbiz, tourism and comedy needs.
Once you have subscribed to this portal, you will be receiving other stories aside Sports News for your sustainability!
Every essential news shall be send to you and your family to be informed of and updated about the world!
