Pope Francis today asked for mercy for "the tormented ukrainian people" after praying the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican.
"A special thought goes out to the many pilgrims who have gathered today at the Divine Mercy Shrine of Krakow, where 20 years ago Saint John Paul II made the Act of Surrender of the world to Divine Mercy"said.
"Today more than ever we see the meaning of that gesture, which we want to renew in prayer and in the testimony of life. Mercy is the way of salvation for each one of us and for the whole world. Y we ask the Lord, special mercy, mercy and pity for the tormented Ukrainian people"he added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that he had a telephone conversation with Pope Francis, informing him of the "russian crimes" in Ukraine.
"I informed him about the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and its horrible crimes. I am grateful to the pontiff for his prayers for Ukraine," Zelensky wrote on his Twitter account.
A week ago, the Ukrainian ambassador to the Holy See announced that Francis plans to travel to kyiv before visiting Kazakhstan on September 13.
The Vatican for the moment has not confirmed this possibility, although the pontiff has expressed on several occasions his intention to travel to that country to request an end to the conflict.