Pope Francis: Humanity must end war before war destroys humanity

The threat of a global conflict, caused by Russian invasion of Ukrainemust convince everyone that it is time for humanity to end war before war destroys humanity, he said today Pope Francis.

“More than a month has passed since the invasion of Ukraine, since the beginning of this inhuman and irrational war, which, like any war, is a defeat for all of us, for all of us. “We must declare war, a place of death where mothers and fathers bury their children, where men kill their brothers without even seeing them, where the strong decide and the poor die,” the pope said during his sermon in the square today. of St. Peter in front of thousands of believers.

The war in Ukraine is destroying the future of the country, he said, citing statistics showing that half of the children in Ukraine had to leave their homeland.

“This is the barbarity of war, something that is barbaric and blasphemous,” the pope said, urging the faithful not to consider war inevitable or something to be accustomed to.

“If we come out of this war as we were before, we will all be guilty in some way. Faced with the danger of self-destruction, humanity must understand that the time has come to end war, to cancel it from the history of the human species before (he) cancels man from history. I beg every politician involved to reflect on this, to commit and looking at the witness Ukraine to realize that every day of war worsens the situation for everyone. Goal! Stop! Let the weapons be silent. “Negotiate seriously for peace,” the pope concluded.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, Pope Francis has spoken out several times about the possibility of a nuclear war and has indirectly criticized Moscow, strongly condemning what he called “unwarranted aggression” and denouncing “brutality.” .

But he has used the word “Russia” only in prayers, as he did last Friday during a global peace rally.