Pope Francis
Pope Francis celebrates mass on April 03, 2022 outside the St. Publius parish church at Piazzale dei Granai in Floriana, Valletta, Malta, on the second and last day of the Pope's trip to the Mediterranean archipelago. Image Credit: AFP

Valletta, Malta: Pope Francis is praying for an end to the war in Ukraine and for the world to show kindness and compassion to refugees.

Wrapping up a final Mass in Malta on Sunday, Francis urged the faithful to "think of the humanitarian tragedy unfolding in Ukraine, which continues to be bombarded in this war."

He called for the world to be "tireless in praying and in offering assistance to those who suffer."

Among those at the Mass was Alina Shcherbyna, a 25-year-old Ukrainian who arrived in Malta just over a week ago after fleeing her bombed-out home in Dnipro. She left behind her parents, who are both doctors and had to remain.

Carrying Ukrainian and Vatican flags, Shcherbyna said she wanted to ask the pope and the world for prayers for Ukraine.

"At school we were studying a lot about the Second World War, about bomb shelters and about this disaster, and we thought it was impossible in present time," she said. "We thought it had ended in 1945 and that was it. But now, it's really shocking for all of us."