Ukraine rejected on Sunday Pope Francis’ call to negotiate an end to the war with Russia and President Volodymyr Zelensky said the pontiff was conducting “virtual mediation.” Furthermore, his minister of Foreign Affairs I affirm that kyiv would never capitulate.
Francis said that when things went bad for one of the parties in conflict had to show the “courage of raising the white flag” and negotiate.
Pope Francis spoke about Ukraine and Russia
The Pope interview It would be the first time that Francisco uses terms like “white flag” or “defeated” when talking about the war in Ukrainealthough in the past he referred to the need to start conversations.
Zelensky did not refer directly to the Holy Father nor to your comments, but mentioned religious figures helping inside Ukraine.
“They support us with prayer, with their debates and with actions. “This is what a church is with the people,” Zelensky said. in his late-night video speech. “Not 2,500 km away, somewhere, virtual mediation between someone who wants to live and someone who wants to destroy you.”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
He Foreign Minister Dmytro Kulebawrote on the social media platform The strong person in any dispute “stands on the side of good rather than trying to put both on the same plane.” and call it ‘negotiations.'”
“Our flag is yellow and blue”, Kuleba wrote in English, referring to the Ukrainian national flag. “This is the flag by which we live, die and prevail. We will never fly any other flag.”
The minister spoke against the Nazis
Kuleba also sHe referred to accusations that Pope Pius XII did not act against the Nazis in Germany In the Second World War.
“I urge (the Vatican) to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past and support Ukraine and its people in their just fight for their lives.
He was thus referring to the old arguments that Pius XII took no action despite evidence that emerged during the war about the magnitude of the Holocaust. A letter published last year in the Vatican archives appeared to show that Pius was already aware of Nazi actions to exterminate the Jews in 1942.
Pius’s supporters say he worked behind the scenes to help Jews and that he did not speak out so as not to worsen the situation of Catholics in Europe occupied by the Nazis. His detractors claim that he lacked the courage to make known the information he had. despite the pleas of the Allied powers fighting against Germany.
The Archbishop of Ukraine rejected the Pontiff’s statements
He Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, head of the Ukrainian Eastern Rite Catholic Church, which has five million faithful, also rejected the Supreme Pontiff’s comments.
“Ukraine is wounded, but not conquered! “Ukraine is exhausted, but it remains and will remain standing!” Shevchuk declared in New York, according to the Church’s website. “Believe me, no one has the slightest idea of giving up.”
Volodimir Zelensky’s request to Russia
Zelensky called for the withdrawal of all Russian troops and the reestablishment of Ukraine’s post-Soviet borders. The Kremlin rules out starting talks on the terms set by kyiv.
The Pope annoyed the Ukrainian authorities several timessuch as his call last year to young Russians to be proud of being heirs of tsars like Peter the Great, given as an example by President Vladimir Putin to justify his actions in Ukraine.
European officials supporting Ukraine in its efforts to expel Russian troops They denounced Francisco’s latest comments.
“How about, for balance, encouraging Putin to have the courage to withdraw his army from Ukraine?” wrote in X Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski.
He President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkevics, also wrote in X, “We must not capitulate to evil, we must fight it and defeat it, so that evil can raise the white flag and capitulate.”
Source: Ambito
