In an interview with Swiss Radio and Television that Pope Francis had last month, he once again called for a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war. His words, “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” with its suggestion of surrender and the implication that Ukraine is defeated and fighting a war that essentially it has already lost, unleashed a firestorm of criticism from all quarters.
“When you see that you are defeated, that things are not going well, you have to have the courage to negotiate,” Pope Francis added. As Pope it is understandable that he would exhort the warring sides to reach a compromise to end the bloodshed, but the spark that ignited the firestorm was that the Pope’s words clearly implied that it should be Ukraine- the nation that was attacked and invaded by Russia–to raise the white flag.
The searing riposte came immediately from one of Ukraine’s most ardent allies, Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski, with a post on X. “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.”
Both the foreign minister of Poland and Ukraine’s ambassador to the Vatican, Andrii Yurash, used World War II analogies to condemn the pope’s remarks, comparing them to the “appeasement” policy that led to Adolf Hitler’s invasions of neighboring countries just before World War II.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni went on defense, explaining that the Pope’s remarks were meant to reiterate his concern for the lives that have been lost and those that will be lost if the war continues. Bruni underscored that the pope supported “a stop to hostilities (and) a truce achieved with the courage of negotiations,” rather than an outright Ukrainian surrender.
Bruni clarified that the term “white flag” had been introduced into the discussion not by the Pope, but by the journalist who asked the question that prompted the controversial remarks.
In the RSI interview, Francis insisted that “negotiations are never a surrender.” But as things stand presently, Zelensky is adamant, Ukraine will not take the initiative to engage in peace talks with Russia.
The Pope has tried to maintain the Vatican’s traditional diplomatic neutrality, but many have seen that as sympathy with the Russian rationale for invading Ukraine, such as when he noted that NATO was “barking at Russia’s door” with its eastward expansion.
Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, succinctly represented Ukraine’s position: “Ukraine is wounded, but unconquered! Ukraine is exhausted, but it stands and will endure. Believe me, it never crosses anyone’s mind to surrender.”
As for the Russian response, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told ANSA that in his call for negotiations, Pope Francis is not speaking to Kiev, but to the West, which in their opinion, is using Ukraine as “a tool” for its “ambitions.”
“The way I see it,” the spokeswoman stressed, “the Pope is asking the West to put aside its ambitions and admit that it was wrong. As for Russia, we have never blocked negotiations.”
Perhaps as an implicit acknowledgement of his blunder, during the Angelus prayer on Sunday from the window overlooking St. Peter’s Square, Francis said that he was praying “for peace in the tormented Ukraine and in the Holy Land.”
