Pope prays for Christmas truce worldwide
Pope Francis (photo: Getty Images)
On the Sunday before Christmas, Pope Francis remembered Ukraine, reports Vatican News. During his prayer, he called on the world to make a “Christmas truce.”
“Tormented Ukraine continues to be struck by attacks against the city, which at times damage schools, hospitals, and churches. May the weapons be silenced and Christmas carols resound! Let us pray for a ceasefire on all war fronts, in Ukraine, the Holy Land, in all the Middle East, and the entire world, at Christmas,” the Pope called.
Pope Francis also expressed concern about the situation in Mozambique.
“I follow the news coming out of Mozambique with constant attention and concern, and I want to renew my message of hope, peace, and reconciliation to this beloved people. I pray that dialogue and the quest for the common good, supported by faith and good will, may prevail over mistrust and discord,” he said.
Scandalous statements of the Pope
Over the past almost three years, Francis has repeatedly spoken out about the war between Ukraine and Russia. Quite often, his statements were ambiguous.
The most scandalous was a statement in March of this year when the Pope called on Ukraine to negotiate with Russia and used the phrase “white flag.” This statement provoked an extremely negative reaction from official Kyiv and Western countries.
However, the Pope has recently gotten into a scandal again. This time he called Russians and Ukrainians “cousins”.
More details can be found in an article by RBC-Ukraine.
