By wanting to advocate peace, Pope Francis has opened a new front. On Saturday March 19, the pontiff called on Ukraine to raise the “white flag”. Words perceived by kyiv as a demand for capitulation to the Russian invader. From there, a diplomatic imbroglio begins: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responds that he will “never” raise the white flag and calls the Church to order. Berlin also gets involved, defending the right of Ukrainians to defend themselves. Since the Pope’s remarks, the Vatican has sought to rectify the situation.
Act I: “Have the courage to negotiate”, calls the Pope
It all starts from Pope Francis’ declaration, broadcast on Saturday March 9. In an interview with Swiss television, the pontiff calls for “having the courage to raise a white flag and to negotiate” to end the war in Ukraine “before things get worse.” In an apparent allusion to kyiv, he adds: “Negotiating is a courageous word. When you see that you are defeated, that things are not working out, have the courage to negotiate.” In the process, the head of the Catholic Church recalls that there are “many” actors “ready to play the role of mediators”, “for example Turkey”. A message for peace on the verge of generating a diplomatic exchange of arms.
Act II: Ukraine will “never” raise the white flag, kyiv responds to the Pope
Ukraine responds sharply on Sunday to Pope Francis, vowing to “never” surrender to Russia. “Russian assassins and executioners do not penetrate further into Europe only because they are repelled by the Ukrainians with weapons in their hands and under the blue and yellow flag” of Ukraine, declares President Volodymyr Zelensky in his message daily video.
Praising the role of Ukrainian army chaplains, he continued: “That is where the Church should be – with the people. And not 2,500 kilometers away, with virtual mediation between someone who wants to live and someone who wants to destroy you,” added the Ukrainian president, without mentioning the name of Pope Francis.
On social networks, the Pope’s remarks have attracted a lot of criticism, with pro-Ukrainian accounts representing him with the face of Vladimir Putin or dressed up in the colors of Russia. Despite his repeated calls for peace since the Russian invasion in February 2022, some observers, including in Rome, regret that his speeches sow confusion.
Act III : German government criticizes Pope’s remarks on Ukraine
On Monday, Berlin also gets involved. The German government criticizes Pope Francis’ call. “I don’t understand,” reacted Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during an interview on the public channel ARD on Sunday evening.
“I think that certain things can only be understood if you see them for yourself,” says the minister, who has visited Kiev several times since the start of the war. A spokesperson for Chancellor Olaf Scholz declared that the latter “does not share the pope’s opinion”. “Ukraine opposes an aggressor, benefits in this sense from broad international support and acts within the framework of its right to defend itself enshrined in international law,” adds Steffen Hebestreit.
Act IV: Ukraine summons Vatican envoy after
The affair is growing. Ukraine summons the Vatican envoy to the country on Monday to protest the pope’s statements. “Visvaldas Kulbokas was informed that Ukraine is disappointed by the Pontiff’s words regarding the ‘white flag’ and the need to ‘show courage and negotiate’ with the aggressor,” reports the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry in a statement.
Ukrainian diplomacy accuses the pope of “legalizing the right of the strongest” and encouraging them to “continue to ignore international law.” “The head of the Holy See should have sent signals to the international community about the need to immediately unite forces to ensure the victory of good over evil, and appeal to the aggressor, not the victim” , Kiev still believes.
Act V: the Vatican seeks to rectify the situation
Embarrassed, the Vatican sought to correct the situation by insisting that the phrase “white flag” here meant “a cessation of hostilities” rather than a surrender. The Secretary of State (Number 2 of the Vatican), Pietro Parolin, steps up to try to put out the fire. “The precondition” for a negotiated solution is to “put an end to the aggression” and to silence the weapons, “and it is first up to the aggressor to do it”, estimates the Italian cardinal in an interview daily The Corriere della Serapublished this Tuesday.
This is not the first time that the head of the Catholic Church has created waves by speaking out about the conflict. At the end of 2022, the Vatican apologized to Moscow after a comment on the alleged cruel behavior of Russian ethnic minorities.