Pope Francis slammed ‘the massacre of Bucha’ on Wednesday, holding a Ukrainian flag brought to him from the town where chained victims were shot at close range, a mass grave, and other evidence of executions were discovered. ‘Recent news from Ukraine’s war, instead of bringing consolation and hope, brought more crimes, like the Bucha tragedy,’ Francis stated at the close of his weekly audience in the Vatican hall.
‘Cruelty that is becoming more and more heinous, especially towards citizens, defenseless women, and children. They are victims whose innocent blood shouts forth to heaven, pleading, ‘Stop this war!’ Allow the firearms to fall quiet! ‘Cease sowing murder and ruin,’ he said. The Kremlin claimed on Tuesday that Western claims that Russian soldiers committed war crimes by murdering people in Bucha were a ‘monstrous fiction’ intended to denigrate the Russian army.
‘They gave me this flag yesterday, exactly from Bucha,’ he added, unfolding it and holding it up for the audience of several thousand, which erupted in cheers. The flag appeared to be soiled and discolored, with writing on it. ‘It comes from the conflict, namely from that sacrificed city, Bucha,’ he stated, before inviting a group of young war refugees who came on Tuesday from Ukraine to approach him. ‘These youngsters had to flee in order to reach a secure land. This is the result of war. Let us not forget them, nor the Ukrainian people before handing out chocolate Easter eggs to each child’, he said.
Post Your Comments