As he does almost every week, the Pope urged prayer for peace in Ukraine and the whole world.
After praying the midday Angelus on July 3, he said this:
Getting worse
More than four months have passed since the beginning of the Russian offensive on Ukraine on February 24. Large-scale fighting is currently going on in the Donbass, especially in the city of Lissychansk, which is under siege by Russian forces. As well, Belarus, a country allied with Moscow, has accused Ukraine of having launched missiles on its territory.
Beyond Ukraine, other areas of tension have emerged in recent days, notably around the Kaliningrad enclave, a Russian territory bordering Poland and Lithuania, as well as in Scandinavia.
The blocking of supplies to a small Russian settlement on the island of Spitsbergen, under Norwegian sovereignty, has also become a subject of tension between Norway and Russia. In addition, the prospect of Finland and Sweden joining NATO has led to threats from Russia.
