Im available Pope ready to do anything for

‘I’m available’: Pope ready to do anything for…

A trip to Kiev is still on the table, the head of the Catholic Church said after his trip to Malta. “Let’s hope everything works out,” Francis said of his own health.

In his own words, Pope Francis is ready to do anything to work for peace in Ukraine. “The will is there. I am available,” the Catholic Church leader said on the return flight from his two-day trip to Malta in front of journalists on Sunday night. A trip to Kiev is still on the table. A meeting with pro-Kremlin Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Kirill in the Middle East is also underway.

Francis went on to say that he is in regular contact with people on the ground in Ukraine. He also expressed his sympathy for journalists killed in the conflict in Ukraine. “Your work serves the common good,” the Holy Father told reporters on the plane.

“Do not use duplicity”

The Pope further emphasized that there is nothing to hide in relations between Russia and the Vatican. “Everything I told the authorities was published.” Nothing was reserved just for him. “I’m not using duplicity.”

Francis once again criticized the fighting in Ukraine. War is always wrong. The pattern of war, with investments and purchases of weapons, does not know the principle of peace. After World War II, a wave of peace work emerged, Francis said. “But after 70 years we have forgotten that,” he warned. “War is against the human spirit. It is cruel.”

Health problems

Francis also complained about his own health. “I have a knee problem that makes it difficult to walk,” the 85-year-old said on Sunday. During his visit, the Holy Father clearly had difficulty walking and needed help, for example, climbing the stairs.

“My health is in good spirits, but there’s no doubt that at my age you never know how the game is going to end,” explained the Catholic Church leader. “Let’s hope it works out.” The pope has long suffered from problems with his right knee, which is why he had a limp recently.

(APA/dpa)