"So many children, boys and girls, who are at war, are suffering today in Ukraine," Pope Francis lamented before students from the Catholic school La Zolla of Milan, who were gathered in St. Peter's Basilica ahead of the March 16, 2022 general audience.
"They are like us, like you: six years old, seven years old, ten years old, fourteen years old [but] you have a future ahead of you, the social security to grow up in a society at peace," he said.
The Pontiff lamented the situation of Ukrainian children who "have to flee from the bombs." He spoke of "those little ones, even very little ones" who "suffer so much ... with the cold that it is there."
The Bishop of Rome then prayed with the Italian schoolchildren, asking God to take care of the children immersed in the war and "victims of the pride of us adults." They then recited a Hail Mary together.
During the interview, Pope Francis also asked the young Italians to always be "amazed" and "grateful."
![Ukrainian crisis: The Vatican’s steps to seek peace [Chronology]](https://staging.aleteia.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/02/Pope-Francis-Audience-Ukraine-Ukrainian-Antoine-Mekary-ALETEIA-AM_6185.jpg?resize=300,150&q=75)
