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Pope Francis broke down in tears today after mentioning the suffering of Ukrainians during a traditional prayer in central Rome, Reuters and the Associated Press reported, citing BTA.
This happened during the Pope’s annual prayer on the Spanish Steps in Rome, which coincides with the December 8 celebrations dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. The event marks the unofficial start of the Christmas season in Italy.
When he got to the part of the prayer where he said, “I would like to bring you the thanks of the Ukrainian people,” Pope Francis leaned over and his voice began to tremble, unable to speak clearly, and he had to stop for about 30 seconds. When the crowd of thousands of dignitaries, clergy and ordinary Romans, including the mayor of Rome Roberto Gualtieri, who was very close to him, realized that the Pope was overcome with emotion and saw him crying, they broke into applause and encouraged him to continue.
After he managed to regain his composure, the Pope continued: “Instead, once again I must convey to you the requests of children, of the elderly, of fathers and mothers, of the young people of this martyred land that suffers so much”.
Since Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine in February, Pope Francis has mentioned Ukraine in almost all of his public appearances and has become increasingly critical of Moscow.
Photo by Kuba Podgórzak : https://www.pexels.com/photo/people-gathering-on-a-city-4411694/
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