ROME — Pope Francis launched an appeal on Ash Wednesday for a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine as the first anniversary of the Russian invasion approaches.
Following his weekly general audience in the Vatican, the pontiff noted that Friday will mark the one-year anniversary of the beginning of this “absurd and cruel war.”
“A sad anniversary!” the pope declared. “The toll of dead, wounded, refugees and displaced persons, destruction, economic and social damage speaks for itself.”
“May the Lord forgive so many crimes and so much violence,” he continued. “He is the God of peace.”
Present at the audience was Ukraine’s ambassador to the Holy See, Andrii Yurash, along with a delegation of Ukrainian officials who heard the Pope repeat his earlier calls for a ceasefire.
“Let us remain close to the tormented Ukrainian people, who continue to suffer, and let us ask ourselves: has everything possible been done to stop the war?” Francis urged.
“I appeal to those who have authority over nations to make a concrete commitment to end the conflict, to achieve a cease-fire and to start peace negotiations. What is built on rubble will never be a true victory!” he concluded.
The Pope has publicly appealed for peace on more than 100 occasions since the start of the war.