Pope praying for 'martyred Ukraine'

STORY: Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, the pope has on several occasions condemned the conflict, while at the same time holding back on direct criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In June, he implicitly accused Russia of "armed conquest, expansionism and imperialism."

A month later, he said in an exclusive interview with Reuters that he wanted to visit Kyiv but also Moscow, preferably first, to promote peace.