Pope Francis, 86, tells Europe to find ‘creative ways’ to end the war in Ukraine

Pope Francis today urged Europe to find ‘courageous courses of peace’ to end the war in Ukraine.

The 86-year-old pontiff made the call during his trip to Portugal for a major Catholic youth festival.

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‘We are sailing amid storms on the ocean of history, and we sense the need for courageous courses of peace,’ he said in an address today at Lisbon’s Belem Cultural Centre, while sat in a wheelchair after undergoing surgery in June.

‘With deep love for Europe, and in the spirit of dialogue that distinguishes this continent, we might ask her: “Where are you sailing, if you are not showing the world paths of peace, creative ways for bringing an end to the war in Ukraine”?’

Pope arrived in Lisbon to take part in World Youth Day, which marks a week of religious, cultural, and festive events held about every three years in different cities.

Francis said he hoped this year’s event would serve as an ‘impulse towards universal openness’ for Europe.

‘For the world needs Europe, the true Europe. It needs Europe’s role as a bridge and peacemaker in its eastern part, in the Mediterranean, in Africa and in the Middle East,’ he said.