Regretting Deaths in Gaza and Ukraine, Pope Francis: War Always Destroys

Pope Francis. (Wikimedia Commons/Benhur Arcayan)

JAKARTA - Pope Francis on Wednesday again called for peace in the Gaza Strip and Ukraine, regretting the killing of aid workers due to Israeli air strikes, paying tribute to a Ukrainian soldier who died in the war against Russia.

Seven staff of the charity World Central Kitchen (WCK) were killed on Monday in Gaza, an event Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called an accidental and "tragic" incident.

"I express deep regret for the deaths of volunteers while they were distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza. I pray for them and their families," said Pope Francis in his weekly audience, reported by Reuters, April 3.

Having limited public activities and skipped several events during Easter week, the Pope took full part in an outdoor audience Wednesday.

On the occasion, the Pope renewed calls for an "immediate" ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all Israeli hostages kidnapped by Palestinian militants Hamas, full access to humanitarian aid, warning against an “irresponsible” expansion of the regional conflict.

Not only Gaza, but the Pope also mentioned the war in Ukraine, telling the crowd in St. Peter's Square that he was holding a copy of the New Testament and a set of rosary beads that belonged to a slain 23-year-old Ukrainian soldier.

"I would like us all, in this moment, to be a little silent, to think of this young man and the many like him who died in the folly of this war. War always destroys, let us think of them and pray," said the Pope.

Pope Francis said the soldier, whom he identified only as Oleksandr, was killed in Avdiivka, a town in eastern Ukraine that was captured by Russia in February.

The Pope had previously mentioned the items at another audience last month, after they were given to him by a nun who had been on several charity missions to Ukraine.