ATHENS – Pope Francis on Wednesday urged an end to the “absurd and cruel” war in Ukraine.
February 24 will mark one year since the beginning of the war, a sad anniversary, he said during his general audience in the Vatican on Ash Wednesday morning, according to the Vatican News.
"The toll of dead, wounded, refugees, those isolated, destructions, economic and social damage speaks for itself," added the pontiff.
He called on “those in authority over nations to make concrete efforts to end the conflict, reach a ceasefire, and start peace negotiations.”
“Whatever is built on rubble can never be a true victory,” he added.
Ash Wednesday ushers in the period of Lent for many Catholics and other believers, a 40-day season of prayer and fasting, and leads up to Easter Sunday, marking the biblical resurrection of Jesus, the son of God in the Christian faith. (Anadolu)
