Pope's Controversial Statements Spark International Reactions

The day after the shocking interview on Swiss Television in which the Pope suggested to Kyiv to raise the 'white flag' and have the courage to start negotiations to be entrusted to the international community, a response from Moscow did not take long: the spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova interpreted it as follows: 'as I see it, the Pope is asking the West to set aside its ambitions and admit that it was wrong'. As for Russia, 'we have never blocked negotiations'. Pope Francis, during the Sunday Angelus in front of a crowded St. Peter's Square, repeated to the faithful to pray every day for peace 'of the tormented Ukraine and in the Holy Land'. Adding: 'May the hostilities that cause immense suffering to the civilian population cease as soon as possible'. No direct reference, however, to the fierce controversies aroused by the interview granted to the Swiss broadcaster almost a month ago and held in standby by the Pope for almost a month. The impact of that service was so devastating from a political point of view that it required an immediate Vatican correction. It is not the first time that the papal entourage is forced to mitigate the impact of the papal words. Francis, they reported, only intended to emphasize the need to find 'that bit of humanity that allows creating the conditions for a diplomatic solution in search of a just and lasting peace'. The fire, however, exploded equally with international consequences, arousing dismay, astonishment, bitterness. Starting with the Ukrainian ambassador to the Vatican, Andrii Yurash, a pious and moderate man, literally disoriented who entrusted to X his thought: 'It is important to be consistent. If we talk about the third world war we have now, it is necessary to learn the lessons of the second world war. Did anyone at the time ever seriously talk about peace speaking of Hitler and invoking white flag to meet him? So the lesson is only the first, if we want to end the war, we must do everything to kill the dragon'. The president of Latvia, Edgers Rinkevics waited until this morning to make a statement on Bergoglio's words. 'My statement on Sunday morning is that we should not surrender to evil, rather we must defeat it, so that evil raises the white flag and surrenders'. Even the head of the Greek Catholic Church Sviatoslav Schevchuk from Kyiv expressed pain and suggested to those who evoke the white flag to go to confession. 'No one in Ukraine would ever consider surrendering. Ukraine is exhausted but resilient and will prevail. No one is thinking of surrendering. If someone does not believe in the victory of Ukraine go to confession because this means that we have little faith in the living God present in the body of the Ukrainian people'. In the meantime, irreverent phrases and mocking drawings about Pope Francis, considered by many, from the beginning of the conflict, biased on pro-Russian positions, appeared on social networks. Ukraine remains firm in not engaging directly with Russia in peace talks and Kyiv has stated several times that the initiative for peace negotiations must belong to the country that has been invaded. Russia is gaining momentum on the battlefield in the war that has reached its third year while some of Ukraine's Western allies are entertaining the possibility of sending troops.