All the way through the traditional Easter Sunday mass in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis prayed for peace for Ukraine and condemned the “violence and destruction of the merciless and senseless battle.”

“The arena is marking an Easter of battle,” CNN Newsroom host Fredericka Whitfield quoted the pontiff before introducing a video clip of his remarks, commenting that the war was “casting a shadow on spiritual celebrations this weekend for Christians and Jews world wide.”

“May there be peace for battle-torn Ukraine,” mentioned Francis, according to the interpretation. “So sorely tried with the aid of the violence and the destruction of the cruel and senseless war by which it was dragged.”

The Washington Put up pronounced additional costs from Francis’ sermon that addressed the battle in Ukraine:

We’ve got viewed all an excessive amount of blood, all an excessive amount of violence. Our hearts, too, were stuffed with fear and discomfort, as so a lot of our brothers and sisters have had to lock themselves away to be protected from bombing.

Let us all commit ourselves to imploring peace, from our balconies and in our streets. May the leaders of nations hear folks’s plea for peace.

…I see the faces of the orphaned kids fleeing from the war…As we take a look at them, we can not lend a hand but hear their cry of pain, along with that of all those different youngsters who suffer throughout our world: those demise of starvation or lack of hospital treatment, those who find themselves victims of abuse and violence, and people denied the fitting to be born.

CNN faith commentator Father Edward Beck joined Whitfield to discuss Francis’ remarks.

It was once in all probability hopeless for the chief of the Catholic church to try and negotiate with Vladimir Putin, stated Beck, however Francis had reached out to the Archibishop of the Russian Orthodox Church. It used to be “thoughts-boggling” that the archbishop was helping Putin and the invasion of Ukraine, Beck brought. “withIn the name of Christianity, no less.”

“The pope is doing what he can at the back of the scenes, however there are lots of limitations,” stated Beck. Some of the Russian folks weren’t supportive of this invasion, and he hoped that Francis would be able to reach “sane-considering individuals who can in reality begin to make a difference” in Russia.

Watch the video above, via CNN.

The put up Pope Francis Prays for Peace in Ukraine Amid ‘Easter of Struggle’, Condemns ‘Merciless and Mindless’ Invasion first seemed on Mediaite.