Pope Francis has said the war in Ukraine was “perhaps somehow provoked or not prevented.”
While he condemned “the ferocity, the cruelty of the Russian troops”, he said “we must not forget the real problems if we want them to be solved” – including the arms industry among the factors that encourage war.
The pope praised the “brave” Ukrainians for fighting for survival and for protecting their land, but said the situation was not in black and white and that the war was “perhaps somehow provoked”.
In the transcript of a conversation, published by the Jesuit magazine Civilta Cattolica, the pope adds that the war has also violated a country’s right to self-determination.
“It’s also true that the Russians thought it would all be over in a week. But they miscalculated. They came across a brave people, a people who are struggling to survive and have a history of struggle,” Francis said.
“This is what moves us: to see this heroism. I would very much like to emphasize this point, the heroism of the Ukrainian people. What we have before our eyes is a situation of world war, global interests, arms sales and appropriation. geopolitics, which is martyring a heroic people, “he said.
Separately, Francis lamented that Ukraine had been added to a list of regional wars, in a message for the upcoming World Day of the Poor of the Roman Catholic Church.
“But here the situation is even more complex by the direct intervention of a ‘superpower’ intended to impose its own will in violation of the principle of self-determination of peoples,” he said.
Pope is not “pro-Putin”
Elsewhere in talks with Jesuit publishers, the pope said that before the invasion of Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin had met with a head of state who expressed concern that the NATO was “barking at the gates of Russia” in a way that could provoke a war. .
He continued: “We don’t see all the drama unfolding behind this war, which may have been somehow provoked or prevented.”
Asked rhetorically if this made him “pro-Putin,” he said, “No, I’m not. It would be simplistic and wrong to say such a thing.”
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The pope also noted Russia’s “monstrous” use of Chechen and Syrian mercenaries in its war in Ukraine.
Russia continues to call its neighbor’s invasion a “special operation” to disarm Ukraine and protect it from fascists.
Ukraine and Western countries claim that the fascist accusation is unfounded and that war is an act of unprovoked aggression.
Ukraine has also continued to demand more weapons from Western powers to help defend its remaining territory in the Donbas.
The pope said he hoped to meet with Russian Orthodox patriarch Kirill at an interfaith event in Kazakhstan in September.
The couple were due to meet in Jerusalem in June, but this trip was canceled due to the war.
Kirill, a close ally of Putin, has expressed support for Russian troops in Ukraine.
Last month, Francis said Kirill could not become “Putin’s altar monk,” and sparked a protest from the Russian Orthodox Church.