Pope Francis Calls for Two-Week Easter Ceasefire in Ukraine

Pope Francis issued a call today, together with Leonid Sevastyanov, the Orthodox head of the World of Old Believers, to carry out a two-week ceasefire to honor the Catholic and the Orthodox Easters during that time period. Today is Good Friday in the Catholic Church. “The Pope has just told me that in honor of (Easter), 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 Pope told Sevastyanov, “Please let everyone know this.” The Catholic Church celebrates Easter this year on Sunday, April 9; Orthodox Christians celebrate it a week later, on April 16.