Pope slams abuse of power in Ukraine war

ROME: Pope Francis denounced on Friday (Saturday in Manila) the "perverse abuse of power" on display in Russia's war in Ukraine and called for aid to Ukrainians, who, he said, had been attacked in their "identity, history and tradition" and were "defending their land."

Francis' comments, in a message to a gathering of European Catholic representatives, marked some of his strongest yet in asserting Ukraine's right to exist as a sovereign state and to defend itself against Russia's invasion.