Pope Francis Tells Vladimir Putin to Find Peace in Ukraine

Vladimir Putin, in typical fashion, was over an hour late to meet Pope Francis on Wednesday. But they eventually met inside the walls of the Vatican, where the pontiff urged the Russian president to make a "sincere effort" to achieve peace in Ukraine. According to the United Nations, the now year-long war in the country has killed more than 6,700 people, and displaced over 1 million others. A statement from the Vatican said the two met for 50 minutes. The main topic, it said, was eastern Ukraine, where government forces are fighting separatists forces comprised of local militia and Russian servicemen. Putin has repeatedly denied direct involvement in the conflict, and said he has no soldiers fighting inside Ukraine, despite mounting evidence otherwise.