Pope Francis calls for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine
Photo: Pope Francis (Getty Images)
Pope Francis, in his Christmas message on Wednesday, called for negotiations between Ukraine and Russia to end the war that began nearly three years ago, Reuters reports.
In his Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world) address, Francis directly mentioned the war, calling for "the boldness needed to open the door to negotiation."
Speaking from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica to thousands gathered in the square below, the Pope said, "May the sound of arms be silenced in war-torn Ukraine!" He also called for "gestures of dialogue and encounter, in order to achieve a just and lasting peace."
Francis, who has been Pope since 2013, was criticized this year when he said that Ukraine should have the courage to raise the “white flag” and start negotiations to end the war with Russia.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell criticized the Pope's message, saying that by invoking a white flag for Ukraine, Francis had stepped into a garden where he was not invited.
Francis has repeatedly drawn controversy with statements justifying Russia's aggression against Ukraine. In December, he referred to Ukrainians and Russians as "cousins."
In 2022, Francis claimed that Russians were supposedly incapable of atrocities and that war crimes in Ukraine were committed by people of other nationalities in the Russian army. He called the Chechens and Buryats the most brutal part of the Russian troops in Ukraine.
