Pope Francis and his message "Urbi et Orbi" (Credit: TIZIANA FABI/AFP via Getty Images)
(CNN) --
Pope Francis said Sunday that the world is celebrating a "Passover of war" and called for peace in Ukraine, which he said has been drawn into a "cruel and senseless war."
“We have seen too much blood, too much violence.
Our hearts have also been filled with fear and anguish,” Pope Francis said as he delivered his annual “Urbi et Orbi” Easter blessing, adding that “our eyes are also in disbelief on this Easter of war.”
Russian war in Ukraine: breaking news and invasion news
"May there be peace for war-torn Ukraine, so severely tested by the violence and destruction of the cruel and senseless war into which it was dragged. In this terrible night of suffering and death, may a new dawn of hope! Let there be a decision for peace, let there be an end to the flexing of muscles while people suffer," Pope Francis said from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica after the Easter Mass.
About 100,000 people attended Pope Francis' Easter Mass in St. Peter's Square and nearby areas, according to the Vatican press office.
Among them were several Ukrainian politicians, including Ivan Fedorov, the elected mayor of the occupied Ukrainian city of Melitopol, who was detained by Russian forces last month and charged with terrorism offences.
“I have in my heart all the many Ukrainian victims, the millions of refugees and internally displaced persons, the divided families, the elderly left to themselves, the broken lives and the devastated cities.
I see the faces of orphaned children fleeing war,” Pope Francis continued.
advertising
Pope Francis also highlighted acts of charity amid the "pain of war", such as "the open doors of all those families and communities that are welcoming migrants and refugees throughout Europe."
war in ukraine
