Pope Francis has been largely silent on the issue of the war in Ukraine aside from urging peace in the region, along with the rest of the world. That changed last month during a little-noticed interview he did with a Swiss broadcaster. The Pontiff told the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (RSI) that Ukraine should have “the courage of the white flag” and put the humanitarian needs of its people ahead of pride or nationalistic goals. It was an unusual stance for the Vatican to take, aside from its general opposition to war and conflict. It’s not as if the Pope has shown any general support for Vladimir Putin or Russia (or any other country for that matter), but his position could be taken as a condemnation of both Ukraine and the United States for prolonging what increasingly seems to be a hopeless effort by Ukraine to defeat a significantly more powerful foe. (Associated Press)
Pope Francis said in an interview that Ukraine, facing a possible defeat, should have the courage to negotiate an end to the war with Russia and not be ashamed to sit at the same table to carry out peace talks.
The pope made his appeal during an interview recorded last month with Swiss broadcaster RSI, which was partially released on Saturday.
“I think that the strongest one is the one who looks at the situation, thinks about the people and has the courage of the white flag, and negotiates,” Francis said, adding that talks should take place with the help of international powers.
The media is reminding us that this isn’t the first time that Pope Francis has made comments that at least appeared to offer some subtle sympathy for Russia’s position. Last year, in a separate interview, the Pope opined that NATO was “barking at Russia’s door” by expanding to the east over past decades. While not an endorsement of the invasion, the Pontiff did make it sound as if Russia was justified in feeling threatened by the alliance standing against it.
It’s not as if the Vatican really has a “side” in this conflict because neither of the primary countries involved are exactly brimming with religious zeal. Russia has a long history of persecuting any Christians who fall outside of sanctioned Russian Orthodoxy. In Ukraine, Zelensky has literally shut down and evicted churches that didn’t have the government’s seal of approval, such as the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Religious leaders have widely condemned him for that. Freedom of religion is not an honored tradition in either nation.
Pope Francis is far from unique in calling for an end to these hostilities. In the early part of the 20th century, Pope Benedict XV repeatedly called for an end to the First World War in an effort to end the killing and restore peace. He penned his “letter of peace” on Aug. 1, 1917, having it published in both French and Italian and sending it directly to the leaders of the warring nations. Later, Woodrow Wilson would quote the Pope in a message of his own, though without attributing the words to the Pontiff.
Later, Pope Pius XII would take a very different approach. He famously stayed largely silent about the Nazi holocaust against the Jews. This position would later draw criticism against him as if he was favoring an ostensibly Christian population over Judaism. All of these examples represented a marked shift from the Middle Ages when multiple Popes actively encouraged or even directed war against perceived infidel nations by those with Catholic leaders who were loyal or even subservient to the Vatican.
In the end, the influence of today’s Vatican over world events will likely not exert much influence over the war in Ukraine. Neither leader is likely to take their orders from Rome and the American president may be a self-described Catholic, but that doesn’t seem to be reflected in most of his policies. It’s a nice sentiment for the Pope to express, but the war in Ukraine is going to require a political solution, not a religious one.