In his first in-depth interview with a US network, Pope Francis called for peace in the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, saying a “negotiated peace” is better than continued conflict.
“Please, all the countries that are at war, stop the war. Try to negotiate. Seek peace,” the pope said. Interview with CBS News on wednesday.
The Pope has been outspoken about ending the Israel-Hamas war and rescuing civilians in the Gaza Strip since the conflict erupted last year, and has mentioned it in speeches.
He said he calls the diocese in Gaza every day around 7 p.m. There are approximately 600 people providing updates on the situation in Gaza.
“It’s very hard, very, very hard. The food is coming in, but they have to fight to get it,” he said. “Very difficult.”
When asked if he could help negotiate peace between Hamas and Israel, he said he could and that he had been praying about it “a lot.”
More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed since Hamas invaded Israel on October 7 and Israel launched a counterattack.
According to the United Nations, more than 1 million people are facing hunger in Gaza, many of them children. President Biden announced last month that the United States would build a temporary port along the Gaza coast, but officials say that is far from enough.
Pope Francis said the world needs to think not only about the children of Gaza, but also about the children of Ukraine who have been living in the war-torn city for more than two years.
“Those kids don’t know how to laugh. When I say something to them, they forget how to smile,” he said. “And this is very difficult when a child forgets to smile.”
“This is really very serious, very serious,” Pope said.
He said his message to Russian President Vladimir Putin was to end the war and find ways to negotiate peace.
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