Pope Francis has angered Kiev with his recent statements about the war in Ukraine and how to end it. As reported, Argentina said in a TV interview that Ukraine “must have the courage to show the white flag and negotiate.” The Ukrainian ambassador to the Holy See then asked whether anyone had seriously discussed peace with Hitler during World War II and waved the white flag to calm him down.
Regarding Moscow and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Andriy Yurash added, according to Kathpress, that the lesson of history is: “If we want to end the war, we must do everything we can to slay the dragon!” Ukrainian human rights activist Oleksandra Matviychuk explained According to Kathpress, a surrender for Ukraine would mean a Russian occupation. This means “torture, sexual violence, forced disappearances, rejection of one’s own identity, forced adoption of one’s own children, filtration camps and mass graves,” said Matviychuk. “The occupation is just another form of war,” said the chairman of the Kiev Center for Civil Liberties, which won the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize.
The co-founder of the International Center for Ukrainian Victory, Olena Halushka, wrote further
Poland’s Foreign Minister criticizes Pope
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski also joined the chorus of critics. “How about, to compensate, encourage Putin to have the courage to withdraw his army from Ukraine? Then there would be immediate peace, without the need for negotiations,” Sikorski wrote on X on Sunday.
Vatican clarifies: “Negotiation is never surrender”
The Vatican is trying to correct the Pope’s statements. The online portal ‘Vatican News’, owned by the Holy See, distributed a report on Sunday in several languages, including Ukrainian, about a corresponding statement by Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni. Accordingly, Bruni specified that the Pope wanted “above all to call for a ceasefire and to revive the courage to negotiate.”
Saying that Ukraine “must have the courage to show the white flag and negotiate,” the Pope adopted the image of the white flag that the interviewer introduced, Vatican spokesman Bruni explained. The meaning of the statement is that Francis wants a “diplomatic solution for a just and lasting peace.” However, Francis made it very clear that a negotiation “is never a surrender.”
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
