Pope Francis said on Sunday he looks forward to visiting Ukraine in efforts to end a five-month war he has repeatedly regretted.
When asked about a possible future trip to Ukraine, the Pope replied, “I have a great desire to go to Kiev.” He was speaking on a papal plane to reporters traveling with him from Rome to Canada.
No pope visited Moscow, and Francis has repeatedly condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Last month, he tacitly accused Moscow of waging a “brutal and senseless war of aggression”.
In an exclusive interview earlier this month, the Pope told Reuters he hopes to be able to travel to Moscow and Kiev shortly after his trip to Canada.
After the meeting, the Kremlin said that while Ukraine renewed its invitation to the Pope, it had no concrete contact with the Vatican about a possible visit.
The Pope was flying to Edmonton, Alberta’s capital, on Sunday at the start of his trip to Canada, where he intends to apologize for the role of the Roman Catholic Church in schools where many Indigenous children are abused.
“This is a trip of redemption. Let’s say this is your soul,” he told reporters at the start of the flight.
Francis fulfills his promise to apologize in his homeland for the church’s role in state-approved schools trying to destroy indigenous cultures, while the week-long visit will include at least five encounters with indigenous peoples.
It will also be a test of the pope’s health. He had to cancel his trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan in early July due to a knee problem that had recently forced him to use a wheelchair and cane.
Despite the 85-year-old Pope’s knee injury, he was in good spirits and greeted and joked with members of the press.
Although there were initial doubts about whether the plane would move between sections, he said, “I think I can do that,” and walked normally using a cane.
(Reporting by Philip Pullella)
source: Noticias
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