As of: March 13, 2024, 2:20 p.m
By: Lisa Mahnke
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The Pope's call to raise the “white flag” in the Ukraine war is causing a stir.
At the traditional general audience, Francis now calls for general prayer against war.
Vatican City - Pope Francis prayed for an end to the war at the traditional general audience in St. Peter's Square on Wednesday (March 13).
He did not address the controversy surrounding his recent comments about the Ukraine war in an interview published Saturday.
There the pontiff spoke of the “courage” to “raise the white flag”.
At the general audience, the head of the Catholic Church called for general prayer against war.
“So many young people, so many young people are dying!
Let us ask the Lord to give us the grace to overcome this madness of war!
It is always a defeat,” Francis said to numerous believers in St. Peter’s Square in Rome.
Unlike usual, the Pope did not mention Ukraine by name in his speech, perhaps out of reluctance due to the current controversy.
“One must not capitulate to evil”: Criticism of the Pope’s “white flag” came from many quarters
After Pope Francis' appeal for courage to raise the white flag, there were critical reactions from many quarters.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dymtro Kuleba wrote on
“You cannot capitulate to evil, you have to fight it and defeat it, so that evil raises the white flag and surrenders,” wrote Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics on X. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski scoffed on the same platform: “How about "It's to compensate by encouraging Putin to have the courage to withdraw his army from Ukraine?"
The German ambassador to the Vatican, Bernhard Kotsch, also presented his position: “Russia is the aggressor and is breaking international law!
That’s why Germany is asking Moscow to end the war, not Kiev!” The German Bishops’ Conference also distanced itself.
"We must also ask ourselves what the other side means by 'negotiations' and whether it is part of their overall deadly strategy," said Bishop Bohdan Dzyurakh, the apostolic exarch for Byzantine Rite Ukrainians in Germany and Scandinavia, in an interview with the website
katholisch.de
.
“It seems as if the Holy Father does not understand us,” said Dzyurakh, explaining people’s reaction to the Pope’s statements.
Bruni is moving forward - Pope is silent: health continues to be a concern
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said after the interview that the Pope had “above all called for a ceasefire and revived the courage to negotiate.”
According to
Tagesspiegel,
the German Bishops’ Conference “has nothing to add” to the declaration.
Perhaps that is why there was no more talk about the incident at the general audience - after the misunderstanding, Bruni's explanation was already satisfactory.
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The Pope left his controversial statements on Saturday uncommented.
© IMAGO / VATICAN MEDIA/Independent Photo Agency Int.
Wednesday's general audience was the first after a long flu season.
“I still have a bit of a cold,” Francis said at the beginning of the general audience.
During his greetings, the Pope had to cough audibly several times.
At least he was able to read the catechesis himself this week.
Last week the priest Pierluigi Giroli stepped in.
During his illness, Pope Francis still attended public appointments, but his staff often read out the required texts.
The flu, which has now lasted for several weeks, continues to cause concerns about the Pope's health.
Just last week, after catechesis, Francis was unable to get into his Popemobile.
This Wednesday the Pope again used a wheelchair to get to the reading stage.
(lismah)