By Philip Pullella
VATICANCITY -Pope Francis on Wednesday condemned “the bloodbath of Bucha” and kissed a Ukrainian flag despatched from the city the place tied our bodies shot at shut vary littered the streets after Russian troops withdrew and our bodies poked out of a mass grave at a church.
The deaths in Bucha, outdoors Kyiv, have triggered a world outcry and pledges of additional sanctions towards Moscow from the West.
“Current information from the battle in Ukraine, as a substitute of bringing aid and hope, introduced new atrocities, such because the bloodbath of Bucha,” Francis mentioned on the finish of his weekly viewers within the Vatican’s auditorium.
“Cease this battle! Let the weapons fall silent! Cease sowing dying and destruction,” he mentioned, decrying cruelty towards civilians, defenceless ladies and kids.
The Kremlin says allegations Russian forces dedicated battle crimes by executing civilians together with in Bucha have been a “monstrous forgery” geared toward denigrating the Russian military.
Francis mentioned the darkened and stained flag, which had writing and symbols on it was dropped at him from Bucha on Tuesday.
“It comes from the battle, exactly from that martyred metropolis, Bucha,” he mentioned, kissing it and holding it up for the viewers of a number of thousand, which broke into applause.
He then requested a gaggle of youngsters battle refugees who arrived on Tuesday from Ukraine to return as much as him.
“These kids needed to flee with a view to arrive in a secure land. That is the fruit of battle. Let’s not overlook them and let’s not overlook the Ukrainian folks,” he mentioned, earlier than giving every youngster a present of a chocolate Easter egg.
Talking within the earlier a part of his viewers in regards to the post-World Conflict Two interval, Francis mentioned: “Within the battle in Ukraine, we're witnessing the impotency of the United Nations”.
Throughout a visit to Malta on the weekend, Francis mentioned he was contemplating a visit to Kyiv and implicitly criticised Russian President Vladimir Putin over the invasion of Ukraine, saying a “potentate” was fomenting battle for nationalist pursuits.
Francis has solely talked about Russia particularly in prayers, equivalent to throughout a particular world occasion for peace on March 25, however he has referred to Russia by utilizing phrases equivalent to invasion and aggression.
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