Pope Francis calls for end of Russia-Ukraine war, urges 'not to destroy humanity'

As the Russian offensive continues even after 100 days of the war, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State, Pope Francis, on Sunday, urged both countries - Russia and Ukraine, to return to the negotiation table for the sake of humanity.

While speaking after the Queen of Heaven prayer on Pentecost, Francis called the current situation "a nightmare" and said it is a "denial of God's dream".

"Dear brothers and sisters, on the day of Pentecost, the Lord's dream for humanity came true: 50 days after Easter, peoples who speak different languages ​​meet and understand each other," Vatican News quoted him as saying on June 5.

"However, now, a hundred days after the beginning of the armed aggression against Ukraine, the nightmare of war, which is a denial of God's dream, has descended on humanity again: nations at war, nations killing each other, people forced to move away from their homes instead of approaching," he added.

Further, he reiterated both the leaders to listen to the desperate people who are facing the brunt of the ruthless war even after the appeal from several world leaders and international peace agencies.

"I repeat my appeal to the leaders of the nations: please do not lead humanity to destruction! Let the real negotiations begin, concrete negotiations on a ceasefire and an acceptable solution. Let the desperate cries of suffering people be heard, as we see in the media every day, let respect for human life be preserved, and let the terrible destruction of towns and villages in eastern Ukraine stop, he urged President Putin.

Pope Francis may visit Ukraine 

It is worth mentioning that Pope Francis, on Saturday, asserted he may visit the war-torn country after holding a meeting with Ukrainian officials. His response came after a Ukrainian kid, Sachar, asked Pope about his possible visit to Ukraine. "It is not straightforward to make a decision that could do more harm than good to the rest of the world.

I have to find the right moment to do it," he said. "Next week I will receive representatives of the Ukrainian government, who will come here to talk, to talk even about an eventual visit of mine there. We'll see what happens," he added.

Image: AP