Pope prays for Moscow attack victims; appeals for peace in Ukraine
Pope Francis has offered prayers for the people killed in the attack at a concert in Moscow on Friday.
At the end of his Palm Sunday mass at the Vatican, the pope prayed for the victims and the conversion of the attackers, who killed at least 130 people after opening fire.
“May the Lord receive them in his peace and comfort their families," he implored. "May he convert the hearts of those who plan, organize, and carry out these inhuman actions, which offend God, who commanded, ‘You shall not kill.'”
The Islamic State group in Afghanistan claimed responsibility for the attack at the concert in Moscow.
Following the prayers for the Moscow attack victims, Pope Francis appealed for peace in Ukraine.
“Let us pray for all our brothers and sisters who are suffering because of war,” he said.
Pope Francis mentioned the absence of electricity in Ukraine as a result of the Russo-Ukrainian war.
“In a special way, I am thinking of martyred Ukraine, where so many people find themselves without electricity because of the intense attacks against infrastructure that, in addition to causing death and suffering, carry the risk of an even larger humanitarian catastrophe," the pope said.
He also invited people to think about the victims of the war in Ukraine and Gaza.
“Please, do not forget the tormented Ukraine," he said. "And let us think about Gaza, which suffers so much, and so many other places of war.”
He also reflected on the Bible.
“Dear brothers and sisters, Jesus entered Jerusalem as a humble and peaceful king. Let us open our hearts to him. Only he can deliver us from enmity, hatred, and violence, for he is the mercy and forgiveness of sins,” Pope Francis said.
The pope also sought the intervention of Mary.
“And now we turn in prayer to the Virgin Mary," he said. "Let us learn from her to stay close to Jesus during the days of Holy Week, in order to arrive at the joy of the Resurrection."
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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