Pope Francis pointed to two modern examples of suffering, as he contemplated the events of Holy Week at the general audience this April 5.
The first was victims of war crimes:
In this Holy Week of Christ's Passion, commemorating His unjust death, I remember in a special way all the victims of war crimes, and as I call to prayer for them, let us raise a supplication to God that the hearts of all may be converted.
Then the Holy Father turned his attention to Our Lady, and with her, to suffering mothers of soldiers:
And as I look at Mary, Our Lady, before the Cross my thoughts go to the mothers: to the mothers of the Ukrainian and Russian soldiers who have fallen in the war. They are mothers of dead sons. Let us pray for these mothers.
The Pope offered the same prayer just after Christmas, even if certain voices later protested his remembrance of the Russian women:
“Ukrainian moms and Russian moms, on both sides they have lost their children. This is the price of war,” Pope Francis denounced.
