The head of the Roman Catholic Church made the statement in a letter to the leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) Sviatoslav Shevchuk, officials in Kyiv said on Wednesday.
Pope Francis was replying to Shevchuk's message informing him about Russia's air strikes of December 29, the biggest since the Kremlin invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
The Vatican leader said that such attacks on Ukraine's civilians and key infrastructure were "vile, unacceptable and cannot be justified in any way", the Reuters news agency reported.
Pope Francis also "urged the international community and all involved in the conflict to seek peaceful solutions," according to a statement by the UGCC.
The pope has made repeated calls for peace, but has faced criticism in Ukraine for seeming reluctant to openly criticise Russia, the Reuters news agency reported.
Francis has also appointed a special peace envoy, Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, and sent him to Kyiv, Moscow, Washington and Beijing, according to news outlets.
The pope tasked Zuppi with helping bring back Ukrainian children from Russia and Russian-occupied territories, as well, the Reuters news agency reported.
Russia has said it is ready for peace talks if Ukraine acknowledges "new realities," with Kremlin forces occupying some 17.5% of Ukrainian land, according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday said that Russian leader Vladimir Putin sought to occupy Ukraine "completely," and that "Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Moldova may be next," the Kyiv Post website reported.
Wednesday is day 686 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.
Source: PAP, Belsat, Reuters, Kyiv Post
