The Pope commented on the strike on the Lavra without mentioning Russia
The Pontiff expressed condolences over the destruction of churches and the loss of life in Kyiv, calling for prayers for the opening of “paths of dialogue.”
The head of the Roman Catholic Church reacted to the damage to sites of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra as a result of the recent shelling. On the social network X, the Pontiff mentioned the destruction of cultural heritage and the deaths of innocent people, but refrained from making direct political accusations against Russia.
“Sad news about the war in Ukraine, which continues to expand. Many innocent victims, rescuers killed, and churches with cultural heritage sites destroyed by fire,” Leo XIV said. The Pontiff added that he sympathizes with all those mourning their loved ones and with those who continue to serve life amid violence.
At the end of his message, he called on the faithful to ask God together to open “paths of dialogue,” extinguish hatred, and make it possible to achieve a just peace.
In this sense, the post by the head of the Vatican coincided with a recent statement by an international organization that caused dissatisfaction among the Ukrainian authorities. Earlier, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized UNESCO for its official comment on the shelling. Ukrainian diplomats expressed outrage that the UNESCO text also did not mention Russia as the party responsible for the destruction.
