Pope Francis denounces ‘tortured bodies’ found in Ukraine
- The pontiff recalled the conversation he had with his charity chief Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, who is delivering aid in the war-torn country
- Krajewski last week visited mass graves outside the formerly Russian-occupied city of Izium
Speaking at the end of his general audience in St. Peter’s Square, Francis, who did not name Russia, told the crowd of a conversation he had on Tuesday with Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, his charity chief who is delivering aid in Ukraine.
“He [Krajewski] told me of the pain of these people, the savage acts, the monstrosity, the tortured bodies they find. Let us unite with these people, so noble, and martyred,” he said.
Ukrainian officials have said they have found hundreds of bodies, some with their hands tied behind their backs, buried in territory recaptured from Russian forces, in what President Volodymyr Zelensky called proof of war crimes.
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Ukraine says mass graves found in Izium after city recaptured from Russia
Russia has consistently denied its troops have committed war crimes since its troops invaded Ukraine in February. On Monday, the Kremlin rejected allegations of such abuses in Kharkiv region, where Izium is located, as a “lie”.
Of the 111 civilian bodies exhumed by Wednesday, four showed signs of torture, Serhiy Bolvinov, the head of investigative police in the Kharkiv region, said at the burial ground.