Pope tells Europe to find 'creative ways' to end war in Ukraine

Wheelchair-bound Pope Francis, 86, tells Europe to find ‘creative ways’ to end the war in Ukraine as he travels to Lisbon to join a million followers at World Youth Day

• The Pope is travelling to Lisbon for World Youth Day, staying until 6 August

Pope Francis today urged Europe to find ‘courageous courses of peace’ to end the war in Ukraine as he travelled to Portugal for a major Catholic youth festival.

The 86-year-old pontiff has repeatedly called for peace in Ukraine and sought to play a mediating role, though has faced criticism for failing to blame Russia for the war.

‘We are sailing amid storms on the ocean of history, and we sense the need for courageous courses of peace,’ he said in an address today at Lisbon’s Belem Cultural Centre, while sat in a wheelchair after undergoing surgery in June.

‘With deep love for Europe, and in the spirit of dialogue that distinguishes this continent, we might ask her: “Where are you sailing, if you are not showing the world paths of peace, creative ways for bringing an end to the war in Ukraine”?’

Francis received a standing ovation as he arrived in a wheelchair on the stage to deliver his speech, peppered with references to Portuguese literature and music.

He arrived in Lisbon to take part in World Youth Day, which marks a week of religious, cultural and festive events held about every three years in different cities.

Pope Francis kisses a child on his way to the Belem Cultural Center in Lisbon, August 2, 2023

Pope Francis arrives at Figo Maduro Air Base during his apostolic journey to Portugal on the occasion of the XXXVII World Youth Day, in Lisbon, Portugal, August 2, 2023

Organisers expect a million people from over 200 countries to take part in World Youth Day, devised by the late Pope John Paul II for Catholics in their teens or early 20s.

The event is the world’s largest gathering of young Catholics. 

Francis said he hoped this year’s event would serve as an ‘impulse towards universal openness’ for Europe.

‘For the world needs Europe, the true Europe. It needs Europe’s role as a bridge and peacemaker in its eastern part, in the Mediterranean, in Africa and in the Middle East,’ he said.

The pope, who has made protection of the environment a cornerstone of his pontificate, also warned about the increased warming and pollution of oceans and the subsequent climate risks.

‘We are transforming great reserves of life into dumping grounds of plastic,’ he said.

‘How can we claim to believe in young people, if we do not give them healthy spaces in which to build the future?’

The Pope’s health has been another cause of concern in recent months following a hospital visit in June.

The pope had surgery on June 7 to repair an abdominal hernia and spent nine days in hospital recovering before he was discharged, with his surgeon saying he was ‘better than before’. 

However, he was forced to skip the reading of a planned speech on June 22, citing ‘the effects of anaesthesia’ and breathing issues.

Ahead of the Pope’s arrival in Portugal, a huge billboard raising awareness of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church was put up overnight in Lisbon.  

The event comes less than six months after a report by a Portuguese commission said at least 4,815 minors were sexually abused by clergy – mostly priests – over seven decades. 

The commission in charge said that was just the ‘tip of the iceberg’.

The billboard was put up on the Almirante Reis avenue – one of Lisbon’s longest and busiest streets – and reads: ‘4,800+ children abused by the Catholic Church in Portugal’.

The billboard features 4,815 dots, each representing one victim.

Pope Francis boards the papal plane ahead of his visit to Portugal for World Youth Day 2023 at Fiumicino airport in Rome, Italy, August 2, 2023

A billboard denounces children sexual abuse by members of the Portuguese Catholic church during the XXXVII World Youth Day celebrations in Lisbon, Portugal, August 2, 2023

This Is Our Memorial, organisers behind the campaign, said on its website: ‘Nothing can repair the experience and lives of these more than 4,800 victims.’

‘What we can and should do is remember them. Give them a voice. So that what happened never happens again.’

Lisbon Patriarch Manuel Clemente said on Monday the Portuguese church’s commitment to tackle clergy sexual abuse was ‘total’.

Separate billboards were put up in nearby regions where events were to take place. 

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