Pope Francis acknowledges the death toll in Ukraine and prays for peace in the general audience

At his general audience, the Pope again called for peace in Ukraine. That morning he was presented with the war's death toll. At the end of the weekly public catechesis he said the following.

POPE FRANCIS
First thing this morning I received the statistics of deaths in Ukraine…. It's terrible. War is unforgiving; War is a defeat from the start. Let us pray to the Lord for peace, that he may give peace to everyone, to all of us.

Pope Francis has long criticized the arms market. Whenever he has the opportunity, he speaks about the problems caused by the sale of war materials.

POPE FRANCIS
There is a fact, brothers and sisters, that should scare us: the most profitable investments today are in weapons factories. Profit from death.

Another topic at this hearing was marriage. In particular, it is important to include God in the couple's relationship and prepare the couple's faith.

POPE FRANCIS
Therefore, it would not be a bad thing if, when preparing the newlyweds for marriage, in addition to the legal, psychological and moral information, the Holy Spirit, who unites them, was delved into this “spiritual” preparation.

Once again thousands of people filled St. Peter's Square, where the traditional Popemobile ride and the institutional greetings took place.

TR: JD