Advertisement
‘You are our last hope. We hope that you can save their lives. Please don’t let them die.’
In his Regina Caeli address, Pope Francis asked the faithful to celebrate their mothers in a special way on Sunday, for Mother’s Day, and urged continued prayers for peace in Ukraine.
The pope said that the foundation brings ‘love, hope, and mercy’ to those it supports.
Pope Francis on Sunday renewed his call for a truce in Ukraine, saying "the attack must be stopped."
The pope offered a reflection on "Our Lady of Tears."
Major Serhiy Volyna, who has been leading the 36th marine brigade in the battle for the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, pleaded with the pope to help do something to safely evacuate people from the city.
‘War is everywhere,’ he told interviewer Lorena Bianchetti.
In a message to participants in an interreligious pilgrimage to Ukraine, Pope Francis said “the present moment leaves us deeply troubled, because it is marked by the forces of evil.”
“Let the weapons be put down. Let the Easter truce begin,” Pope Francis urged.
The pope held up a blue and yellow flag which he said was brought to him from “the martyred city” of Bucha, Ukraine.
‘May we be tireless in praying and in offering assistance to those who suffer,’ the pope said.
Pope Francis on Saturday said a papal visit to Kyiv is "on the table," raising the possibility of a dramatic escalation of the Holy See's diplomatic and spiritual effort to bring about an end to the fighting that has raged in Ukraine since Russia invaded the country on Feb. 24.
Major Archbishop Shevchuk said: ‘Bring the devil to light and we will overcome.’
In his homily, the pope said that the consecration ‘is no magic formula but a spiritual act.’
‘Through the intercession of St. John Paul II, God led us to this residence,’ said Eleanor Petritschenko.
The Vatican has sent bishops around the world the text of the prayer that Pope Francis will lead on March 25 for the consecration of Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
The pope is asking the bishops ‘to join him in praying for peace and in consecrating and entrusting Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.’
A special statue of Our Lady of Fatima has arrived in Ukraine, ahead of Pope Francis’ consecration of the country and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on March 25.
The pope was speaking on the 21st day of the war in Ukraine.
The consecration will take place on March 25.