At the end of the General Audience on Wednesday, 10 August, Pope Francis once again asked to pray for Ukraine and to be the builders of peace and unity.
During the greeting to the Italian-speaking faithful, Pope Francis exhorted everyone to “be builders of unity and peace in the family, in the Church and in society”.
“It is not easy to be builders of peace, both in the family and in the Church… unity; but we must do it because it is a good job”, warned the Pope.
Then, the Holy Father addressed a special greeting to the “Ukrainian people, who continue to suffer from this cruel war.”
In this line, Pope Francis asked for prayers for people who have to flee their countries in conflict: “let us also pray for the migrants who arrive continuously”.
The Holy Father has condemned the war between Ukraine and Russia and has called for peace throughout the world on many occasions.
Last March, Pope Francis received a letter from the mayor of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, in which he invited him to visit this country that is currently at war with Russia.
“The Holy Father has received the letter from the mayor of the Ukrainian capital and is close to the suffering of the city, of its people, of those who have had to flee and of those who are called to administer it,” confirmed the director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni.
In this line, Bruni pointed out that Pope Francis “prays to the Lord to protect them from violence.”
For his part, Pope Francis said that he wants to travel to Russia and Ukraine to “serve the cause of peace.”