Pope hails departure of Ukrainian grain ships as ‘sign of hope’ | World News,The Indian Express
It came after U.N. warnings of possible outbreaks of famine in some areas of the world due to a halt in grain shipments from Ukraine that had squeezed supplies and sent prices soaring.
Pope Francis on Sunday welcomed the departure from Ukrainian Black Sea ports of the first ships carrying grain previously blockaded by Russia, saying the breakthrough could be a model for dialogue to bring an end to the war in Ukraine.
The first ship, the Razoni, set off on Aug. 1 with seven more following through Sunday thanks to a grain and fertiliser export deal between Moscow and Kyiv brokered by Turkey and the United Nations last month.
It came after U.N. warnings of possible outbreaks of famine in some areas of the world due to a halt in grain shipments from Ukraine that had squeezed supplies and sent prices soaring.
“This step shows that it is possible to conduct dialogue to reach concrete results, which help everyone,” Pope Francis said at his weekly address to pilgrims and tourists in St. Peter’s Square.
“This event presents itself as a sign of hope and my own heartfelt wish is that following this path, it will be possible to bring an end to the fighting and reach a just and lasting peace,” he said.
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