We publish below the words spoken yesterday afternoon by the Holy Father Francis in the Aula Nuova of the Synod at the end of the screening of the Documentary “Freedom on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom”, promoted by the film director Evgeny Afineevsky, in the presence of about 250 guests including the needy, refugees and members of the Ukrainian community in Rome, accompanied by His Eminence Card. Konrad Krajewski, Elector of His Holiness, and representatives of voluntary associations:

Armed words of the Holy Father

When God made man, he said to take the earth, make it grow, make it beautiful. The spirit of war is the opposite: destroy, destroy, do not let it grow, destroy everyone, men women, children, the elderly, everyone.

Today is a year of this war. Let us look at Ukraine, pray for Ukraine and open our hearts to sorrow. Let us not be ashamed to suffer and weep, for a war is destruction, a war always diminishes us. May God make us understand this.

Let us pray.

Holy Father, who art in heaven, look at our miseries, look at our wounds, look at our pain, look also at our selfishness, our base interests and the capacity we have to destroy ourselves. Heal, heal our hearts, heal our minds, heal our eyes that they may see the beauty that You have made and not destroy it in selfishness. Sow in us the seed of peace. Amen.