Pope Francis has called for a two-week truce in the zone of hostilities in Ukraine and in the new regions of Russia from April 9 during the celebration of Easter and post-Easter weeks by Catholics and Orthodox Christians, Leonid Sevastyanov, the leader of the World Union of Old Believers, told TASS on Friday, citing his personal conversation with the pontiff.
"Next week is the Catholic Easter week, and then there will follow the Orthodox Easter week. The Pope has just told me that in honor of this, he suggests that all hostilities in the special military operation zone in Ukraine be stopped for two weeks - for the Catholic and Orthodox Easter weeks. Starting from this Sunday and for two weeks there would be no offensives at all, everyone would stop shooting at each other and a truce would be declared," Sevastyanov said.
The old believers’ leader noted that this issue was very important to the pontiff, who had asked Sevastyanov to declare this on his behalf.
"Please let everyone know this," Sevastyanov quoted Pope Francis as saying.
The Catholic Church celebrates Easter this year next Sunday, April 9; Orthodox Christians celebrate it a week later, on April 16.
In January of this year, Patriarch Kirill, of Moscow and All Russia, called for a Christmas cease-fire in the area of the special military operation in Ukraine on January 6-7. Russian President Vladimir Putin then instructed the Russian Armed Forces to impose a ceasefire along the entire line of engagement in the special military operation zone during this period. The Ukrainian side refused to observe the ceasefire.
