Pope Francis renewed his call for peace through negotiation on Wednesday, expressing his sorrow over the ongoing violent conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. He again limited his public speeches during his weekly address at St. Peter's Square due to ongoing health issues.
In brief remarks at the conclusion of the sermon, the Pope stated: "We must never forget that war is always a defeat, and we cannot continue in war; we must make every effort to mediate and negotiate to end the war. Let us pray for this," referring to the war in Ukraine and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Pope did not read most of his prepared speech again. The 87-year-old is experiencing mobility issues and has suffered from colds and bronchial inflammation in recent weeks. He assigned part of the task to one of his aides and informed his audience that he still needs to reduce his public addresses.
Earlier this month, Pope Francis stirred controversy when he suggested in an interview with Swiss radio RSI that Ukraine should "have the courage to raise the white flag" and open talks with Russia. However, his deputy, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, later clarified that Russia "must stop its aggression first."
