The head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State, Pope Francis, on Sunday, urged both countries - Russia and Ukraine - to return to the negotiation table for the sake of humanity.

While speaking after the Queen of Heaven prayer on Pentecost, Francis called the current situation “a nightmare” and said it is a “denial of God’s dream”.

“Dear brothers and sisters, on the day of Pentecost, the Lord’s dream for humanity came true: 50 days after Easter, peoples who speak different languages ​​meet and understand each other.

However, now, a hundred days after the beginning of the armed aggression against Ukraine, the nightmare of war, which is a denial of God"s dream, has descended on humanity again: nations at war, nations killing each other, people forced to move away from their homes instead of approaching.

I repeat my appeal to the leaders of the nations: please do not lead humanity to destruction! Let the real negotiations begin, concrete negotiations on a ceasefire and an acceptable solution. Let the desperate cries of suffering people be heard, as we see in the media every day, let respect for human life be preserved, and let the terrible destruction of towns and villages in eastern Ukraine stop”, - he urged President Putin.