NEW DELHI: Ukrainian and allied officials criticised
Pope Francis
after he called on
Kyiv
to have the "courage" to negotiate an end to the war with Russia, reported AP.
Many interpreted this statement as a call for
Ukraine
to surrender. The foreign minister of Poland, a strong ally of Kyiv, and Ukraine's ambassador to the Vatican both condemned the pope's remarks, drawing parallels to
World War II
. On Sunday, a leader of one of Ukraine's Christian churches emphasized that it was the country's determined resistance to Russia's aggression that prevented a mass slaughter of civilians.
Pope Francis made these comments in an interview with Swiss broadcaster RSI, which was partially released on Saturday. He argued that Ukraine, facing a possible defeat, should be open to peace talks mediated by international powers. He said, “I think that the strongest one is the one who looks at the situation, thinks about the people and has the courage of the white flag, and negotiates,”
In reponse, Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski posted on X and said, “How about, for balance, encouraging Putin to have the courage to withdraw his army from Ukraine? Peace would immediately ensue without the need for negotiations.” Sikorski also drew parallels between Ukraine attack and "appeasement" of Hitler in another post
Ukraine's ambassador to the Holy See, Andrii Yurash, also criticized the pope's comments, likening them to calls for "talking with Hitler" and raising "a white flag to satisfy him." However, a Vatican spokesman later clarified that the pope supported a stop to hostilities and a truce achieved through the courage of negotiations, rather than an outright Ukrainian surrender.
Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
has repeatedly stated that the initiative in peace negotiations must come from the country that has been invaded, and Kyiv remains firm on not engaging directly with Russia on peace talks.
Throughout the war, Pope Francis has tried to maintain the Vatican's traditional diplomatic neutrality. However, there have been instances where he appeared sympathetic to the Russian rationale for invading Ukraine, such as when he mentioned Nato's eastward expansion as "barking at Russia's door." While the pope has previously spoken about the need for negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow, this interview marks the first time he publicly used terms like "white flag" or "defeated" when discussing the war.
Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, clarified that surrender is not on the minds of Ukrainians. While meeting Ukrainians in New York city, he said, “Ukraine is wounded, but unconquered! Ukraine is exhausted, but it stands and will endure. Believe me, it never crosses anyone’s mind to surrender. Even where there is fighting today: listen to our people in Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Kharkiv, Sumy."
During the Angelus prayer on Sunday, Pope Francis prayed for peace in Ukraine and the Holy Land, expressing his hope for an end to hostilities causing immense suffering among the civilian population.
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