A member of Ukraine’s parliament who met Pope Francis this weekend said the pontiff was overcome with emotion when told about the children who had died during Russia’s invasion.
Maria Mezentseva, who is in Rome as part of a Ukrainian delegation, said she personally informed the Pope “about the number of casualties among children.”
Mezentseva also said the delegation received a “positive signal” about the possibility of Pope Francis visiting Ukraine.
Some context: At least 191 children have been killed since the start of the Russian invasion, Ukrainian prosecutors said last week, and nearly 350 children have been injured.
Calls for peace: Pope Francis on Sunday said the world was marking an “Easter of war,” and called for peace in Ukraine, which he said has been dragged into a “cruel and senseless war.”
Among the 100,000 people attending the Easter Mass in St. Peter’s Square were several Ukrainian politicians, including Ivan Fedorov, the elected mayor of the occupied Ukrainian city of Melitopol who was detained by Russian forces last month and accused of terrorism offenses.
