In a new interview, Pope Francis more openly criticized Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and clarified his position that NATO is partially to blame for the outbreak of war.

“I truly feel great sorrow at having to postpone this visit, which means so much to me," the pope said at his general audience on June 12.

The pope continues to express his desire to visit Ukraine, but remains cognizant of political and practical limitations to this objective.

“The church of Odesa shares the pain of its inhabitants. The church is not a building; it is people,” said Archpriest Maximian Pogorelovskiy, a spokesperson for the Orthodox Diocese of Odesa.

“You realize that the rest of the world is looking toward Pope Francis as maybe the one person who could end this [war], who could bring peace,” Ambassador Donnelly told Gerard O’Connell.

The world is at war, but we must think about the post-war world. We should not repeat old mistakes and underestimate the spiritual energy of the world’s religions.