Pope Francis calls for Ukraine to ‘raise the white flag’ and negotiate with Russia

The separation between Church and State has been a matter of discussion for centuries. However, what cannot be denied is that religious leaders have a voice and influence on political actions and opinions and, arguably, the most important figure in the Western world is Pope Francis.

Politico reported that, on a Swiss television interview released in early March, Pope Francis was asked whether Ukraine should surrender to Russia. The answer shocked a few and made many people angry.

“When you see that you are defeated, that things are not going well, you need to have the courage to negotiate”, the Pope told to Swiss broadcaster RSI, arguing that Ukraine should “raise the white flag”.

Francis warned that Ukraine should “negotiate in time, and look for some country to act as a mediator. Don’t be ashamed to negotiate before things get worse. Negotiation is never a surrender”.

The pontiff’s call for Ukraine to negotiate didn’t take long to receive all sorts of reactions from across the globe.

The reaction from the Russian government was, unsurprisingly, positive. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov argued that Pope Francis and Russian President Vladimir Putin shared the same opinion about negotiations.

“Putin has also repeatedly talked about our readiness and openness to resolve our problems through talks, and this is the preferred option”, Peskov declared, as quoted by Russian news agency TASS.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba gave a stern response to the head of the Catholic Church on X (formerly Twitter): “Our flag is a yellow and blue one. This is the flag by which we live, die, and prevail. We shall never raise any other flags”.

“The strongest is the one who, in the battle between good and evil, stands on the side of good rather than attempting to put them on the same footing and call it ‘negotiations’”, Kuleba added.

Reuters writes that, although President Volodymyr Zelensky didn’t name any names, he spoke on his nightly video address about the work done by religious leaders inside Ukraine.

“They support us with prayer, with their discussion and with deeds. This is indeed what a church with the people is”, Zelensky stated, as quoted by Reuters. “Not 2,500 km away, somewhere, virtual mediation between someone who wants to live and someone who wants to destroy you.”

CBS News highlights that, on several occasions, the President of Ukraine has argued that the initiative to start the peace talks should come from the country being invaded.

The comments by the head of the Catholic Church couldn’t have come in a more critical moment. CBS News comments that Russia is gaining momentum on the frontline while Ukraine is running low on resources.

Meanwhile, some of Kyiv’s allies in the West are considering the real prospect of sending troops to fight in Ukraine.

Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski stood with Ukraine in his criticism. “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 retorted on X, formerly Twitter.

Image: sikorskiradek / Unsplash

“One must not capitulate in face of evil, one must fight it and defeat it, so that the evil raises the white flag and capitulates,” wrote on social media Edgars Rinkēvičs, the president of Latvia.

Image: edgarsrinkevics / X

Alexandra Valkenburg, head of the EU delegation in the Vatican, also shared her mind on X, formerly Twitter: “Russia started an illegal and unjustified war against Ukraine two years ago”.

“Russia can end this war immediately by respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. The European Union supports Ukraine and its peace plan”, Valkenburg added.

Avalkenburg / X

Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, was quoted by DW declared that “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”.

According to Al Jazeera, the Holy See tried to do some damage control, claiming that the Pope’s statements had been misunderstood.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni clarified that Francis meant that the Church supported “a stop of hostilities and a truce achieved through the courage of negotiation” rather than an outright surrender.

However, Al Jazeera noted that, albeit Pope Francis maintains diplomatic neutrality, he has expressed some understanding towards Russia’s rationale to invade Ukraine, criticizing NATO’s expansion into Eastern Europe.