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His statements about the war in Ukraine have brought Pope Francis a lot of criticism.
© Alessandra Tarantino/AP/dpa
Francis got himself into a lot of trouble by advising Kiev to raise the white flag.
This Wednesday, after exactly eleven years in office, he could explain himself.
But will he?
Rome - Every Wednesday, health permitting, the Pope invites people to attend a general audience.
At around nine o'clock in the morning, Francis comes to St. Peter's Square, leads the mass, gives his blessing and then usually speaks a few sentences to the many thousands of believers.
A routine appointment.
However, this Wednesday, eleven years to the day after his election, the audience for the head of more than 1.4 billion Catholics would be an excellent opportunity to clarify some things that have been causing a stir around the world since his interview on Swiss television.
In particular, to whom exactly his advice went to raise the white flag after more than two years of war in Ukraine with tens of thousands of deaths.
Was this only for the leadership in Kiev, whose army is obviously having massive difficulties?
Or also for the attacker in the Kremlin?
And also what the White Flag actually means to him: simply a sign of peace, at the start of negotiations with international mediation?
Or perhaps unconditional surrender?
Devastating international response
In any case, it is now clear to the Vatican what a devastating response the interview had.
US President Joe Biden, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz - they all made their disapproval clear, “with all due respect to the Holy Father”.
In Germany, even the Christian Democratic party and parliamentary group leader Friedrich Merz called the statements “fundamentally wrong”.
Naturally, the anger is greatest in Ukraine: President Volodymyr Zelenskyj summoned the apostolic nuncio in Kiev - practically the Vatican's ambassador - to report.
Apparently the 87-year-old and no one around him was really aware of the consequences that the rather chatty sentences could have.
The interview took place more than a month ago, for a cultural program that was supposed to be about the meaning of the color white - for example, why the Pope wears white.
However, Francis then also addressed the question of whether Ukraine should not have the courage to raise the white flag or whether this would mean giving justice to the stronger.
Francis has long been suspected of being pro-Russian
The answer was more of a general reflection, but Francis also said: “It’s a question of perspective.
But I think that the stronger is the one who recognizes the situation, who thinks of the people, who has the white flag courage to negotiate." Elsewhere, he later added: "Negotiations are never a surrender," what less was taken into account.
Many see the interview as a one-sided siding with Russia - which is also because the Pope has long been suspected of being pro-Russian.
For example, in May 2022, Francis asked whether NATO had contributed to the start of the war with its eastward expansion by “yapping at the gates of Russia”.
Last summer, after many war crimes, he found reason to praise “Greater Russia,” which was extremely poorly received in Ukraine.
For Pope critics in Kiev and elsewhere, the new statements fit the picture.
They no longer see much point in the mediation efforts of the Vatican - namely the special representative for Ukraine, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi.
“I am a sinner and I am fallible”
Others do not judge Francis so harshly.
Many Vaticanisti - as the professional Pope observers in Rome are called - point out that the pontiff is not a trained diplomat, that he does many things differently than his predecessors with a certain willfulness and that he likes to let his thoughts run free in conversation.
In fact, Francis gives interviews like no other pope before.
In an interview with “Zeit” years ago, he also said: “I am a sinner and I am fallible.” Others recall that, as an Argentine native, he spent most of his life far from Europe and therefore has a different view of the world .
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Behind closed doors, some people also bring up his age and health.
At 87, Francis is now the oldest pope in more than a century.
Recently he had to cancel appointments more often - officially because of a long-term cold.
He often sits in a wheelchair, he was recently in the hospital again, and sometimes it is difficult to understand him.
He hasn't been on a long trip abroad since the summer.
It is uncertain whether anything will come of this year's trips - Belgium, the Pacific, his homeland Argentina.
He would not be very welcome in Ukraine, which is also a possible stop.
In any case, the Vatican is currently primarily trying to limit the damage.
Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin - number two in the Papal States - made it clear in the newspaper “Corriere della Sera” that a just and lasting peace is only possible through the efforts of both warring parties.
Parolin did not comment on whether the Pope himself would comment again in the general audience this Wednesday.
But who on earth knows that for sure about this Pope?
dpa