Russia has already accused the West of using its civilian space infrastructure to support the operations of the Ukrainian troops, including for combat strikes, and detecting the locations of Vladimir Putin's army and its movements.
But the traditional pomp and sacred singing then gave way to modern realities. Francis later went up to the central balcony of St.
Peter's Basilica to deliver his twice-yearly "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) message and blessing, addressing a crowd the Vatican estimated at about 100,000.
The video, which has been viewed more than 80,000 times, captures some of the country's most jaw-dropping sites including the snowy crest of Mount Cook, the majesty of Milford Sound, the dinosaur egg-like Moeraki Boulders on the Otago coast and the famed willow tree leaning over Lake Wanaka.
'If he is being treated well that is good to hear, as long as he is being well treated. If I can get a message to those who are holding him, I just want to ask them to tell him he has my love and support.'
'There was a lot of just sitting out in the rain, but then there would be little parts in the cloud and then a rainbow would form out of nowhere. And it would sit there for maybe 10 minutes. The light would cascade across the landscape. And then the storm would come back 10 minutes later and we would be in a torrential downpour again.'
Daniel Kebede (centre) has been outspoken on his political stances - including a statement after threats from Russian president Vladimir Putin against Ukraine where he criticised Nato involvement in the conflict
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year, Francis has at least twice a week referred to Ukraine and its people as being "martyred" and has used words such as aggression and atrocities to describe Russia's actions.
Accompanying the photograph - which was sent from his phone or laptop on March 8th - was a short message downplaying the seriousness of his plight, even though the Taliban are notorious for torturing and murdering prisoners.
As he has done every Easter, Francis called for peace in the Middle East, his appeal made more urgent by recent violence in Jerusalem and cross-border exchanges of fire involving Israel, Lebanon and Syria.
Russia forcibly annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 after a pro-Moscow president was toppled amid mass street protests.
Kyiv has vowed to recapture the Black Sea peninsula along with all other Ukrainian territory occupied by Russian forces.
April 8 (Reuters) - A missile fired from Ukrainian-held territory was shot down over the Black Sea town of Feodosia in Russian-controlled Crimea, the Moscow-installed head of Crimea's administration said on Saturday.
A carpet of 38,000 flowers donated by the Netherlands bedecked the square for the most important and joyous date in the Church's liturgical calendar - commemorating the day Christians believe Jesus rose from the dead.
In his message Francis also mentioned instability in Lebanon, expressed the hope that the "martyred Rohingya people" of Myanmar "may encounter justice", and called for more aid for the victims of earthquakes in February that killed nearly 56,000 people in Turkey and Syria.
VATICAN CITY, April 9 (Reuters) - Pope Francis appeared to ask Russians to seek the truth about their country's invasion of Ukraine in his Easter message to the world on Sunday and appealed for dialogue between Israelis and top tutoring Palestinians following recent violence.
The visuals are the work of San Francisco-based photographer , 31, who was inspired to visit the remote country after watching Lord of the Rings as a child, with the trilogy filmed on both the North and South islands.
No one has heard anything from him in weeks after he said he was being arrested for withdrawing money from a Western Union. Miles is pictured with meeting a Taliban fighter for one of his YouTube videos
When it came to his favourite location in New Zealand, Shainblum said it was tough to pick one but Milford Sound - a fiord in the southwest of the South Island - made a big impression with its 'striking cliffs' and 'pouring' 1,000ft waterfalls
Miles was forced to beg for money to continue the trip online - which he said was used for charity work in Kabul instead - while posting self-serving status updates about how his life has been 'ruined'.
Keen to cash in on the notoriety of his first trip, Miles released a book in which he makes a series of questionable claims about the events that led up to him 'goofing off' with the SAS units on the night of August 15 2021.
Between the Mass and his reading of the message, Francis, appearing in fine form, person tutoring near me was driven in a popemobile around the square and down the main boulevard leading to the River Tiber so more people could see him.