Sikorski responded to Pope Francis. Strong reaction from the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Pope once again caused a wave of consternation with his words about the war in Ukraine. Radosław Sikorski responded to Franciszek in strong words.
“How about, for balance, encourage Putin to have the courage to withdraw his army from Ukraine?” – Radosław Sikorski asked in a post on Twitter. The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs added that “then peace will come immediately, without the need for negotiations.” This is how the Minister of Foreign Affairs referred to Pope Francis' statements about the war in Ukraine.
War in Ukraine. Scandalous words of Pope Francis
The Holy Father has once again caused consternation with his words. In Francis' opinion, “Volodymyr Zelensky and his country should show the courage of the white flag.” – The one who sees the situation, who thinks about the nation, and who has the courage of the white flag to negotiate is stronger. When you see that you are defeated and things are not going well, you must have the courage to negotiate, he said. – This is a shameful issue, but on the other hand, how many victims will it end with? Negotiate in advance, look for a country to mediate. Don't be ashamed to negotiate before it gets worse, he added.
According to the pope, great world powers should participate in Ukraine's talks with Russia. He added that in this difficult situation, a mediator country should be sought. He would see, for example, Turkey in this role.
The Vatican explains Francis' words
After the media storm, the Vatican spokesman spoke out. Matteo Bruni said in a statement that “the Pope picked up on the term 'white flag' uttered by the interviewer and used it to indicate the cessation of hostilities and the truce achieved thanks to the courage of negotiations.” Matteo Bruni assured that Francis' desire “is and always remains what has been repeated for years, that is, to create conditions for a diplomatic solution in pursuit of a just and lasting peace.”
Ukraine's sharp reaction to the Pope's words
The Ukrainian side also commented on the pope's statement. The note issued by the Ukrainian Embassy to the Vatican emphasized that “if today we talk about the Third World War, lessons must be drawn from World War II.” “Did anyone then seriously talk about peace negotiations with Hitler and raising a white flag to please him?” – asked in the letter.
Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, assured that although Ukraine is wounded, it will continue to fight and will not give up.
