Originally published at The Crux
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Pope Leo XIV appealed for an immediate end to hostilities in Ukraine on Sunday and called on people worldwide to pray for “the embattled people of Ukraine.”
The pope made his appeals in remarks to pilgrims and tourists gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Angelus prayer on Sunday, two days before the fourth anniversary of the beginning of the illegal Russian invasion of its neighbor and mere hours after an overnight Russian missile-and-drone attack targeting energy infrastructure.
Ukrainian military and local officials on Sunday reported at least one person killed, while Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said residential buildings were also hit in the attacks, which struck in the capital, Kyiv, and the surrounding area, as well as the Black Sea port of Odesa and several other regions.
A statement from Zelenskyy on social media Sunday morning said Russia also targeted railway and municipal water supply infrastructure among other logistical targets.
“Four years have passed since the beginning of the war against Ukraine,” Pope Leo said on Sunday, adding that his “heartfelt thoughts remain focused on the tragic situation unfolding before the eyes of the whole world.”
“So many victims,” Leo said, “so many lives and families shattered, such
