Pope Francis condemns Bucha genocide; slams 'impotent' United Nations amid Ukraine war

As the Russia-Ukraine war enters day 42 with no peace agreement still in reach, Pope Francis on Wednesday condemned the horrifying Bucha massacre where hundreds of innocent civilians were killed, terming it as 'horrendous'. This comes at a time when several countries in the West have expressed anger against Russia by cracking down on diplomats working in their nations.

It is undeniable that humungous atrocities have been committed in the Ukrainian city of Bucha, where mass graves were found near a church and dead bodies littered all over the streets. On Monday, US President Joe Biden called for a "war crimes trial" over the killings of civilians in Bucha, stating he would seek "more sanctions" against Moscow. 

The Pope tweeted, The recent news from Ukraine, reports new atrocities, like the massacre in Bucha, ever more horrendous cruelty done even against defenseless civilians, women and children."

Earlier, while addressing his audience at an event, the Pope slammed the United Nations and said, "In the war in Ukraine, we are witnessing the impotency of the United Nations", adding, "'Unfortunately the dominant logic is that of the strategies of the most powerful states, to affirm their own interests by extending their areas of economic or ideological or military influence. We are seeing this with war''.

Russia calls Bucha genocide 'fake'

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov continues to vehemently deny the charges. While speaking on the issue, which was presented at the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday, Lavrov alleged that "Ukraine and West are trying to derail the ongoing peace negotiations by making such ‘provocative allegations against Moscow." 

On Monday, he had denied all accusations related to the brutal killing of civilians in Bucha and termed it as a "fake attack" aimed at undermining Moscow. Lavrov alleged that the dead bodies were staged and the images were widely circulated on social media by Ukraine and Western countries in an attempt to defame Russian troops. The Russian Foreign Minister further claimed that the Russian troops had left Bucha on March 30. 

Bucha massacre

On Sunday, April 3, the Ukrainian Defence Ministry stated that they found 410 bodies of slain Ukrainians in Bucha, Irpin and other towns and villages during the first two days. The Defense Ministry added that the exact number of victims of Russian armed forces "will be much higher". Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, on Sunday, April 3, shared the images of horrors caused by retreating Russian armed forces in Bucha city. In a tweet, the Ukrainian FM said, "Bucha massacre proves that Russian hatred towards Ukrainians is beyond anything Europe has seen since WWII."