Crisis in Ukraine

Condemning all atrocities against civilians and crimes against humanity, members of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences called for accountability and independent investigations into suspected war crimes in the world’s current conflicts.

Polish Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, papal almoner, said he and several others came under gunfire while delivering humanitarian aid to suffering Ukrainians on Pope Francis’ behalf.

Under the right moral conditions, a country has the right to purchase weapons to defend itself from those who attack it, Pope Francis said.

Arriving in Kazakhstan, a country that borders Russia, Pope Francis said he came as a “pilgrim of peace” at a time when “our world urgently needs peace; it needs to recover harmony.”

The 10th Review Conference for the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) at the United Nations headquarters in New York led to widespread consensus on numerous issues related to nuclear safety, but could not satisfy the Russian delegation’s objection even though the document did not mention Russia by name.