Pope Francis leads the Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square, on April 10 in Vatican City. Photo: Alessandra Benedetti - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images
Pope Francis called for an Easter truce in Ukraine while addressing crowds gathered in St. Peter's Square to mark Palm Sunday, per AP.
What he's saying: "Put the weapons down. Let an Easter truce start. But not to re-arm and resume combat but a truce to reach peace through real negotiations open to some sacrifices for the good of the people," he said, per Reuters.
- Francis said during his traditional Sunday blessing following the Palm Sunday Mass that world leaders should be “willing to make some sacrifices for the good of the people."
- “In fact, what a victory would that be, who plants a flag under a pile of rubble?” he added, in an oblique reference to Russia.
The pope earlier this month implicitly criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for his "savage" war in Ukraine, which he has repeatedly denounced.
Worth noting: Francis hadn't addressed crowds in St. Peter's Square on Palm Sunday since 2019 due to the pandemic.