Pope Francis, in some of his harshest implied criticism yet of Russia, decried the “violent aggression” against Ukraine and said there was no justification for the “senseless massacre” that is occurring in the besieged country.
"The violent aggression against Ukraine is unfortunately not slowing down," the pontiff told about 30,000 people in St. Peter's Square during his weekly address on March 20.
"It is a senseless massacre where every day slaughters and atrocities are being repeated," said the pope. Francis has so far avoided mentioning Russia by name, continuing a tradition in which the pontiff refrains from condemning by name one side or the other in a war.
"There is no justification for this," he said.
"I beg all the players in the international community to truly commit themselves to stopping this repugnant war," the pope said.
"Even this week, missiles and bombs hit civilians, the elderly, children, and pregnant mothers," he said.
Russia denies targeting civilians, despite widespread evidence of deadly attacks on nonmilitary sites, many of them documented by RFE/RL correspondents.
Francis on March 19 visited a Vatican-run Rome hospital that is treating children wounded in Ukraine.