CITY OF VATICAN — Pope Francis has urged international leaders to help citizens in war-torn nations, including Myanmar and Ukraine.

After reciting the Angelus with pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square on June 19, the pope bemoaned the suffering of Myanmar’s people, who “without basic humanitarian help and are compelled to flee violence and leave their houses that have been burned down.”

“I join the bishops of that beautiful land in requesting that the world community remember the Burmese people, that human dignity and the right to life, as well as places of worship, hospitals, and schools, be protected,” he added.

The country’s bishops issued a statement calling for respect for human life and religious sites. Since the February 2021 military coup, Myanmar military junta has attacked and destroyed scores of churches in military attacks, according to ucanews.com.

Villages have also been attacked, prompting tens of thousands of men, women, and children to escape to India, according to the study.
Myanmar’s bishops issued a statement in which they stated their support for “justice, peace, and reconciliation,” and encouraged “all responsible to provide humanitarian access to suffering and internally displaced people in order to offer them with basic humanitarian assistance.”

Pope Francis also reminded pilgrims not to forget the people of Ukraine, who are still suffering as a result of Russia’s invasion in late February.

According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, 4,569 men, women, and children were slain in Ukraine as of June 20. However, the office believes “that the true statistics are much higher” due to a lack of information in some locations.

The pope urged Christians to consider what they are doing to assist those in Ukraine who are suffering.

“I’d like you to consider a question: What am I doing today for the people of Ukraine?” Do I say a prayer? Is there something I’m doing? Am I attempting to comprehend? What am I doing for the people of Ukraine today? “Answer in your own heart, each of us,” the pope remarked.