Zelenskyy sharply responds to Pope's scandalous statement
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (photo: president.gov.uа)
The Russian occupiers are not moving further into Europe only because they are being held back by Ukrainians with weapons in their hands and under the blue and yellow flag, says the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"Russian murderers and torturers are not going further in Europe only because they are being held back by Ukrainians with weapons in their hands and under the blue and yellow flag. In Ukraine, there were many once-white walls of houses and churches that are now burnt and smashed by Russian shells. And this speaks very eloquently about who should stop for the war to stop," the president said, alluding to the Pope's recent statement about the "white flag."
According to Zelenskyy, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, all Ukrainians - Christians, Muslims, and Jews - stood up to defend the country.
"And I thank every Ukrainian chaplain who is with the army, in the Defense Forces. They are on the front line. They protect life and humanity. They support us with prayer, conversation, and deeds. This is what the church is - with people. And not two and a half thousand kilometers away, somewhere to mediate virtually between someone who wants to live and someone who wants to destroy them," he emphasized.
The Pope's scandalous statement
Yesterday, Reuters published a paraphrase of a fragment of the Pope's interview with the Swiss TV channel RSI. In the interview, the pontiff, answering the question of whether Ukraine should raise a "white flag" and negotiate with Russia, supported the following position.
"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 the negotiations should be mediated by other countries.
The Vatican later said that the Pope did not mean Ukraine's surrender. According to the head of the Vatican's press service, Matteo Bruni, the pontiff spoke only about the need for negotiations.
However, the Pope's words caused a flurry of criticism among Western leaders and politicians. The pontiff's statement was criticized, in particular, in Latvia and Poland. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba urged the Pope not to repeat the mistakes of the past and to support Ukraine.
