Pope Francis condemned the “massacre of Bucha” and kissed a Ukrainian flag he said was sent to him from the town during his weekly audience at the Vatican’s auditorium.
“Recent news from the war in Ukraine, instead of bringing relief and hope, brought new atrocities, such as the massacre of Bucha,” Reuters quoted him as saying.
“Cruelty that is increasingly horrendous, even against civilians, defenceless women and children.”
On Tuesday at the UN Security Council, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused the Russian military of carrying out the worst crimes since World War Two. The Kremlin has claimed there is no evidence Russian troops have carried out the atrocities they have been accused of.
Pope Francis unfolded a Ukrainian flag he said had been brought to him from Bucha and held it up for the audience, which broke into applause.
He then asked a group of children refugees who arrived on Tuesday from Ukraine to come up to him.
“These children had to flee in order to arrive in a safe land. This is the fruit of war. Let’s not forget them and let’s not forget the Ukrainian people,” he said, before giving each child a gift of a chocolate Easter egg.
Source: BBC
