Towards the end of his General Audience on Wednesday,  February 12, Pope Francis laid aside his prepared greetings to Italian speakers and made an off-the-cuff appeal for peace.

“I think of all those countries that are at war,” the Pope said. “Sisters, brothers, let us pray for peace. Let us all do our part.”

“We are not born to kill”, he stressed, “but to help people grow. May we find pathways of peace.”

The Pope also urged all those present to “ask for peace” in their “daily prayers”.

He then mentioned "tormented Ukraine", as he has done at almost every single General Audience since the outbreak of war in the country. "How much it suffers!”, the Pope stressed.

And, bringing his appeal to a close, Pope Francis highlighted some of the worst warzones around the globe: "Palestine, Israel, Myanmar, North Kivu, South Sudan".

“Please, pray for peace,” the Pope urged. “Do penance for peace.”