"Rivers of blood and tears flow in Ukraine": The truths of Pope Francis to Putin

Pope Francis said the Russian invasion of Ukraine was "not a military operation, but a war" while criticizing President Vladimir Putin.

In his Angelus address to the world, the head of the Catholic Church led Sunday prayers at the Vatican with the Russian invasion of Ukraine as his focus, calling for an end to the war and allowing humanitarian corridors to ensure people's safety.

In his address, the Pope said: "Rivers of blood and tears are flowing in Ukraine. It is not only a military operation but a war that sows death, destruction and misery.

In a prayer for the first Sunday of Lent, Pope Francis spoke at the Vatican in the Apostolic Palace overlooking St. Peter's Square in the Vatican, facing thousands of people, many holding Ukrainian flags or placards with messages of solidarity.

He said of the conflict: "True happiness and freedom do not lie in possession, but in sharing, not in the exploitation of others but in their love, not in the obsession with power, but in the joy of service.

"In this martyred country, the need for humanitarian assistance is increasing by the hour. War is madness, please stop. »

"We must be vigilant because they often come in an apparent form of good. In fact, the devil, who is cunning, always uses deception, and [he even knows] how to disguise himself with sacred, apparently religious motives.

The pope also noted that there is "no compromise with evil," just as there has been little compromise on the part of President Putin on his devastating actions in Ukraine.

"Let us take a time of silence and prayer, during which we can stop and look at what stirs in our hearts... " he said.

"To place ourselves before the Word of God in prayer, so that a positive struggle against the evil that enslaves us, a fight for freedom, may take place in us.

The day after the launch of the Russian invasion, the pope went in person to the Russian embassy to express his concern.

Russia claims that its military operation is not aimed at occupying territory, but at destroying Ukraine's military capabilities and capturing what it sees as its dangerous nationalist leaders.

Many more people than usual gathered in front of St. Peter's Basilica for the Pope's Mass on Sunday, with some holding flags of peace.

"The Holy See is ready to do everything in its power to put itself at the service of peace," the pope said, adding that two Roman Catholic cardinals had visited Ukraine to help those in need: Poland's Konrad Krajewski and Canada's Michael Czerny.

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