VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis invoked “gestures of peace in these days marked by the horror of war” in an Easter vigil homily in St. Peter’s Basilica attended by the mayor of the occupied Ukrainian city of Melitopol and three Ukrainian lawmakers.
At the end of his homily Saturday, the pontiff directly addressed directly Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov and the lawmakers. Francis told them that “in this darkness of war, in the cruelty, we are all praying for you and with you this night.”
Fedorov was abducted and held for five days by Russian troops after they occupied his strategic southern city. He and the lawmakers have been visiting European capitals, seeking more aid for their war-torn nation.
