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Public appearance of the Pope on the Catholic holiday of the Immaculate Conception.
The traditional visit to the »Spanish Steps« on December 8th is supposed to be about honoring the Virgin Mary.
But the moment that elicits applause from the crowd is this: as Francis prays for Ukraine, he can no longer contain his emotions.
Pope Francis, head of the Roman Catholic Church:
“Immaculate Virgin, today I wanted to convey the thanks of the Ukrainian people to you.
From
the Ukrainian people, for the peace we have long asked the Lord for.
Instead, I must once again convey to you the prayers of the children, the elderly, the fathers and mothers, the young people of this martyred country that suffers so much.
But the truth is, we all know that you are with them and with all their suffering, just as you were on your son's cross.
Thank you, our mother.
As we look upon you who are without sin, may we continue to believe and hope that hate can be conquered by love, lies can be triumphed by truth, forgiveness can be conquered by insults, peace can be triumphed over war.
So be it."
Just a few weeks ago, Francis wrote an emotional letter to the Ukrainian population.
"Your pain is my pain," he wrote in it.
Since the Russian invasion, the Pope has mentioned Ukraine in almost all of his public appearances.
Most recently, the Bishop of Rome has been increasingly critical of Moscow.