St. Peter’s Square was filled on Sunday with young pilgrims who participated in the “Caravan for Peace” initiative, organized by the Catholic Action group in Rome, Vatican News reports.

Greeting the young people following the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis joined in their prayers for peace and renewed his appeal for the “grave humanitarian situation in the Lachin Corridor in the South Caucusus.”

“I am close to all those who, in the dead of winter, are forced to cope with these inhumane conditions. Every effort must be made at the international level to find peaceful solutions for the good of people.”

Since December 12, the sole road connecting Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia - the Lachin Corridor - has been blocked by self-described Azerbaijani environmentalists. Karabakh residents have reported food and fuel shortages, while hospital patients don't have access to essential medicines, with only a handful allowed transfer to facilities in Armenia proper.