photo: vatikannews.va
VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis has received with great sadness the news of the attacks on medical centres in Kiev and a school in Gaza and hopes and prays for concrete solutions to end the wars.
Vatican News: "The Holy Father learned with great sadness the news of the attacks on two medical centres in Kiev, including Ukraine's largest children's hospital, and on a school in Gaza."
According to a statement issued by the Holy See Press Office on Tuesday, Pope Francis expressed deep regret over the increasing violence.
"It expresses its closeness to the victims and the innocent wounded," the statement goes on to say, "while hoping and praying that concrete ways will soon be found to end the ongoing conflicts."
Pope Francis has tirelessly appealed for peace and a negotiated solution to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and has sent Vatican envoys to both territories with humanitarian aid and a message of closeness and concern.
Tuesday's statement comes in the wake of Russian airstrikes in cities across Ukraine that killed dozens of people and hit a children's hospital in Kiev on Monday.
Meanwhile, on Sunday morning, an airstrike by Israeli forces on the Holy Family School in Gaza City reportedly killed four people and destroyed parts of the school where many Palestinian families were sheltering. The airstrike came just hours after Israeli forces attacked the UN-run school on Saturday, killing at least 16 people and wounding 75 who were sheltering there, according to Gaza authorities, including two UNRWA workers.
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