The war will become nuclear: the Pope begs Putin to stop the "spiral of death" in Ukraine

The Pope appealed to thousands of believers in St. Peter's Square with a message about peace. Francis' speech reminded the call of Pope John XXIII during the Caribbean crisis, they say in the Holy See. Pope Francis literally pleaded with Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the "spiral of violence and death" in Ukraine. The pontiff said this in addressing thousands of followers on St. Peter Square, the press service of the Holy See in the Vatican reported.

"Instead of healing this terrible and incomprehensible wound for humanity, more and more blood is shed. The situation can intensify. The rivers of blood and tears spilled over these months are upset," Francis said. War in Ukraine can lead to nuclear escalation with uncontrolled global consequences, Francis said and condemned the annexation of temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories. The message was the first address of Pope Francis directly to Putin, writes Reuters.

The Pope urged Putin to think about ordinary Russians if the conflict intensified. "I appeal first and foremost to the President of the Russian Federation, asking him to stop the spiral of violence and death, first of all for love for my own people. I appeal to the President of Ukraine (Vladimir Zelensky) to be open to serious peaceful proposals," Francis said.

One Vatican official in communicating with Reuters noted that Francis' address was gloomy and was reminiscent of Pope John XXIII on the radio before the Peace in 1962 during the Caribbean. In his speech, Francis emphasized the right of all countries to sovereignty and territorial integrity. "I deeply regret the serious situation and new actions that are contrary to the principles of international law," he said, referring to the annexation of the regions of Ukraine.

Francis called "painful" news about tragedies in Bucha, Irpen, Mariupol, Izium, Zaporozhye and other cities where Russian invaders visited. Recall that the Pope broke the theme of Russia's war with Ukraine during a visit to Kazakhstan, where he met with the Jesuits. According to Pontiff, it is already a matter of the Third World War. Francis previously criticized the Russian Patriarch Cyril for his support for an aggressive war with Ukraine.