Pope Francis called to pray for those who died in the madness of the war in Ukraine and spoke about 23-year-old soldier Oleksandr, who died near Avdiivka, UNN reports citing Vatican News.
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Pope Francis concluded Wednesday's general audience with calls for efforts to silence the guns and bring peace, as well as a prayerful focus on the soldiers who have fallen in the war in Ukraine.
The Pope called: "Let us not forget the martyrdom of Ukraine: how many died.
The aides handed the Holy Father a pocket edition of the New Testament and Psalms and a rosary that belonged to a soldier who died in Ukraine, which he had been given a few weeks ago, as he had mentioned during the general audience on March 13.
"I am holding in my hands," he said, "a rosary and a New Testament left by a soldier who died in the war.
The Pope said that it was about a 23-year-old young man, Oleksandr, who died near Avdiivka, and in the book of Scripture he emphasized the words of Psalm 129: "From the depths I cry to you, O Lord, hear my voice." "Here is his rosary and the New Testament, which he read and prayed. I would like us all to be silent at this moment, thinking of this young man and of the many others like him who have died in this madness of war. War always destroys. Let us remember them and let us pray," the Holy Father said, after which St. Peter's Square plunged into prayerful silence.