Families, from Ukraine, elsewhere, tell pope of woes, joys

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Families from many places, including war-ravaged Ukraine, have told Pope Francis their stories of joys, sorrows and hopes at an event on a stage at the Vatican. The occasion on Wednesday evening at the Vatican’s auditorium was part of events for the World Meeting of Families, a Catholic church tradition established by Pope John Paul II in 1994. Francis was brought on stage in a wheelchair, as he is battling a knee problem. After listening to several mothers, fathers and some of their older children, Francis offered his reflections. He told a Ukrainian woman and her daughter, who are refugees in Italy, that they gave voice to those whose “loves have been shattered by the war in Ukraine.”