The Pope Takes Aim at Russia in 'Easter of War' Address
Russia has been feeling the condemnation of the world at large for weeks now, after their unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine. In recent days, these criticisms have been supercharged by the Kremlin’s insidious behavior in the conflict, with war crimes being committed on the daily and international authorities beginning to suggest that we are witnessing a “genocide” of the Ukrainian people.
And now, on this holiest of weekends, the high pontiff has some words for Vlad Putin and his Russian hoards.
Pope Francis implicitly criticised Russia for dragging Ukraine into a “cruel and senseless” conflict and urged leaders to strive for peace as he marked what he called an “Easter of war” on Sunday.
Advertisement - story continues below“Our eyes, too, are incredulous on this Easter of war. We have seen all too much blood, all too much violence. Our hearts, too, have been filled with fear and anguish, as so many of our brothers and sisters have had to lock themselves away in order to be safe from bombing,” he said.
“May there be peace for war-torn Ukraine, so sorely tried by the violence and destruction of the cruel and senseless war into which it was dragged,” he said.
And then…
“Let there be a decision for peace. May there be an end to the flexing of muscles while people are suffering,” Francis said on Sunday, going on to thank those who had taken in refugees from Ukraine, most of whom have gone to Poland.
Russia has had no luck in getting any of their hard-to-believe narrative to stick when it comes to Ukraine, and with his holiness now openly blasting the Kremlin’s horrid war, there is little hope that anyone is going to come rushing to the Kremlin’s side anytime soon.
