Pope Francis appealed to end Russia’s all-out war in Ukraine, calling the war “senseless” during his traditional Christmas Day address on Dec. 25.
“May the Lord inspire us to offer concrete gestures of solidarity to assist all those who are suffering, and may he enlighten the minds of those who have the power to silence the thunder of weapons and put an immediate end to this senseless war,” he said.
Earlier on Dec. 14, Pope Francis asked people to spend less on Christmas celebrations, using the savings to help Ukrainians through a very difficult winter.
“Let’s have a more humble Christmas, with more humble gifts, and send what we save to the Ukrainian people, who need it,” he said.
On the eve of Christmas, however, Russia launched an artillery attack on central Kherson in southern Ukraine, killing at least ten and injuring 55 people. A total of 16 people were killed in Kherson and Kherson Oblast that day, said the regional governor Yaroslav Yanushevych.
President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the Russian attack on Kherson, saying that the attack is “terror, it is killing for the sake of intimidation and pleasure.”
“In the morning, on Saturday, on the eve of Christmas, in the central part of the city,” Zelensky said. “These are not military facilities. This is not a war according to the rules defined.”
“The world must see and understand what absolute evil we are fighting against,” he said.
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