Pope Francis marked 1,000 days since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine Wednesday, calling it a “shameful disaster for humanity” at an audience attended by First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska.

“Yesterday marked 1,000 days since the invasion of Ukraine. A tragic anniversary for the victims and the destruction it has caused,” the Argentine pope said at the end of his weekly general audience at the Vatican.

But at the same time, it is a shameful disaster for all humanity,” he added in front of the thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square, where Zelenska sat with the first ladies of Armenia, Lithuania and Serbia.

He expressed his closeness to the “martyred Ukrainian people” and called for efforts “so that weapons give way to dialogue”.

Francis then read a letter addressed to him by a Ukrainian student in which he describes the war and how people are suffering.

Russia launched its full-scale attack on Ukraine in February 2022 and since then, the pope has frequently called for an end to the conflict.

VANGUARD