Pope Francis prays for peace on Easter and criticizes Russia in address

WISCONSIN (CBS 58) -- Pope Francis, marking an "Easter of War", urged leaders to hear the people's plea for peace in Ukraine and implicitly criticized Russia for dragging the country into a "cruel and senseless conflict".

The 85-year-old Pope made his comments in his twice-yearly "To the city and the world" address to about 50,000 people in St. Peter's Square.

It was the first Easter since 2019 that the public was allowed to attend following two years of COVID-19 restrictions.