Pope Francis on Friday decried the war in Ukraine terming it a “perverse abuse of power” waged for partisan interests and called for aid to Ukrainians who “have been attacked in their identity, history and tradition” and were “defending their land.”
Without naming Russia, Francis condemned the war during a message to a Catholic Church conference in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia.
“The tragedy of the war taking place in the heart of Europe has left us stunned,” he said, adding that few people would have imagined scenes similar to the two world wars in the 20th century.
“Once more humanity is threatened by a perverse abuse of power and partisan interests which condemns defenceless people to suffer every form of brutal violence,” he said, according to Reuters.
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The Pope also rejected the term “special military operation”—a phrase used by Russia which says that its intention is to demilitarise and “de-Nazify” its neighbour rather than occupying the territory.
“The blood and tears of children, the suffering of women and men who are defending their land or fleeing from bombardments shakes our conscience,” he said.
On March 16, the Pope held a video call with Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to reports.
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Kirill, 75, has made statements defending Moscow’s actions in Ukraine and sees the war as a bulwark against a West he considers decadent, particularly over the acceptance of homosexuality.
The Vatican said the Pope told Kirill: “The ones who pay the price of war are the people, the Russian soldiers and the people who are bombarded and die.”
(With inputs from agencies)
