Pope Francis issued his hardest condemnation but of the invasion of Ukraine, saying on Sunday the “unacceptable armed aggression” should cease.
Speaking to hundreds of individuals in St. Peter’s Square for his Sunday blessing, Francis additionally stated that the killing of kids and unarmed civilians was “barbaric” and with “no valid strategic reason”.
He referred to as the besieged metropolis of Mariupol a “martyred city” and once more appealed for “truly secure humanitarian corridors” to permit residents to evacuate.
“In the name of God I ask you: stop this massacre!,” the pope stated, including that Ukrainian cities risked “being reduced to cemeteries”.
The pope has not used the phrase “Russia” in his condemnations of the battle since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion on Feb. 24.
But his selection of phrases, resembling “armed aggression” and “no valid strategic reason”, seem aimed toward contesting Moscow’s justifications for the invasion.
Russia calls its motion a “special military operation”. Last Sunday Francis implicitly rejected that time period, saying it couldn’t be thought of “just a military operation” however a battle that had unleashed “rivers of blood and tears”.
Moscow says its motion is designed to not occupy territory however to demilitarise and “de-Nazify” its neighbour. It has additionally denied focusing on civilian areas.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
