In Gaza, “nowhere is safe” and “hunger is everywhere.”

The ruckus over the pope’s comments once again put the Vatican’s diplomatic corps in the position of having to smooth over Francis’ informal, off-the-cuff way of speaking.

Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmitro Kuleba, said on Sunday that Ukraine will “never” raise the white flag to negotiate with Russia, and criticized the pope’s remarks for asking to do just this.

At the noon prayer on Sunday, Pope Francis called for a cease-fire and for “the continuation of negotiations” to bring about the release of hostages taken by Hamas and the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

“Americans should be against killing Israelis but also against killing Palestinians,” the political activist Mustafa Barghouti said in an interview with Gerard O’Connell.

“If you talk today with the widows who have lost their husbands, and mothers who have lost their sons, you will understand why Russia did not succeed.”