Pope Francis Says Ukraine War 'Perhaps Was Provoked or Not Prevented'

Pope Francis has claimed that Russia's invasion of Ukraine "perhaps, in some way, was provoked or not prevented," according to the transcript published Tuesday of a conversation he had a few days ago with the directors of European cultural magazines. of the Society of Jesus.

“We don't see all the drama behind this war.

I see an interest in testing and selling weapons.

It's very sad, but basically this is what is at stake," he said.

In the talk, the pontiff also cites the opinion of a head of state with whom he spoke before the start of the war, whom he has not identified, but who he defined as "a wise man who speaks little" and who expressed his concern "Because of how NATO was moving."

“I asked him why and he replied: 'They are barking at the gates of Russia.

And they don't understand that the Russians are imperial and they don't allow any foreign power to get close to them' and concluded by saying that the situation could lead to war.

That head of state knew how to read the signs of what was happening,” Francisco said.

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Before the invasion, Russian President Vladimir Putin had demanded that NATO rule out the entry of kyiv, which borders Russia, into the military alliance.

And at first, to justify his attack, he accused the Alliance, which he defines as an instrument of US foreign policy, of provoking the war.

In the conversation, published by various media, including the newspaper

the Pope stressed that he is not "pro-Putin", in response to those who think that with this opinion he is showing himself in favor of the Russian president, and that it would be "simplistic and wrong". say such a thing”.

He further pointed out that Russia had "miscalculated" the war.

“It is also true that the Russians thought that everything would be over in a week.

They met a brave people, a people struggling to survive and having a history of struggle,” he added, praising the heroism of the Ukrainian people.

The pontiff also condemned the "ferocity and cruelty of the troops" used by the Russians, "who prefer to send Chechens, Syrians and mercenaries" and that "it is something monstrous."

At the same time, he warned against what he claimed was a fairytale perception of conflict as good versus evil.

"We have to get away from the usual Little Red Riding Hood scheme, where Little Red Riding Hood was the good guy and the wolf was the bad guy," he said.

And he added: “There is something global emerging and the elements are very intertwined.”

This Tuesday morning, the pontiff published a message in which he affirms that the invasion of Ukraine is a violation of the right of self-determination of a country.

“The war in Ukraine came to be added to the regional wars that in these years are bringing death and destruction.

But here the picture is more complex due to the direct intervention of a 'superpower', which intends to impose its will against the principle of self-determination of peoples.

Scenes of tragic memory are repeated and once again the reciprocal blackmail of some powerful silences the voice of humanity that invokes peace”, writes the pontiff in his message for the World Day of the Poor of the Catholic Church, which will be celebrated in november.

How many poor people are generated by the senselessness of war!

Wherever you look, you can see how violence affects the defenseless and the weakest.

#WorldPoorDay https://t.co/l86snKDZkU

– Pope Francis (@Pontifex_es) June 14, 2022

At the start of the war, Francis was criticized for being lukewarm and for not explicitly mentioning Russia or Vladimir Putin as responsible for the attack.

He later hardened his tone in messages and official appearances and began to speak clearly of invasion or the intervention of a "superpower", as he does in the recent message for the World Day of the Poor.

He even made himself available to travel to kyiv to invoke peace.

In Tuesday's interview with Jesuit publications, Francis explained that he intends to meet Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, a close Putin ally who supports the war in Ukraine, at an interfaith event in Kazakhstan.

Kirill recently reproached Francis for asking him not to become the Kremlin's "altar boy" in an interview with the Italian newspaper

.

The Russian Patriarch accused the Pope of having chosen the "wrong tone" to convey his message, adding that such comments could damage the traditionally sensitive dialogue between the two churches.

Bergoglio recalled that in a 40-minute conversation he had with the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church through a video call, he read him "a statement in which he gave the reasons to justify the war" and that he replied: " Brother, we are not clerics of the State, we are pastors of the people”.

The two were scheduled to meet in Jerusalem in June, but the trip was mutually canceled due to the war.

The Argentine pontiff has also warned of the danger that over time attention to what is happening in Ukraine will decline.

“What will happen when the enthusiasm to help wanes?

Because things are getting cold, who is going to take care of these women?

We have to look beyond the concrete action of the moment, and see how we are going to support them so that they do not fall into trafficking, so that they do not exploit them, because the vultures are already circling”, he launched.

Pope Francis has expressed that, in his opinion, the third world war has been declared.

“A few years ago it occurred to me to say that we were experiencing a third world war in pieces.

Now, for me, it has been declared.

And this is an aspect that should make us reflect.

What is happening to humanity that has had three world wars in a century? ”, He has reflected.

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