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2024-03-14 Europe
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'Let's close our ears.' Polish rulers did not forgive the Pope for his 'white flag' for Ukraine
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Kristina Ismagilova
[REGNUM] Pope Francis, in an interview with the Swiss broadcaster RSI, discussed the situation in Ukraine, which had the effect of a bomb exploding. The reason was another call by the pontiff for negotiations to resolve the conflict. During the conversation, the pontiff was asked: “In Ukraine there are those who ask for the courage to surrender, to show the white flag. But others say it will legitimize the strongest. What do you think?" To which the head of the Catholic Church replied: “This is an interpretation. But I believe that those who see the situation, those who think about people, those who have the courage to raise the white flag and negotiate are stronger. And today this can be agreed upon with the help of international powers. The word "negotiation" is a bold word."
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The Pope went on to emphasize that if you are “failing” and “things are not going well,” “you need to have the courage to negotiate.” “Shame on you, but how many deaths will this end in?” - he asked. The Pope called for “agreeing in a timely manner” and looking for a country that will act as a mediator, as Turkey tried to do.
It is worth noting that this is not the first time the pontiff has called for an end to the confrontation in Ukraine and to find a diplomatic solution to achieve peace. He was also criticized just as many times for these statements. They reacted especially sharply in Kyiv in August, when the Pope said before the participants of the All-Russian Meeting of Catholic Youth:
“Don’t forget that you are the heirs of the great mother Russia, a great country, its history, its saints, its great cultural figures. You are the heirs of great Russia, therefore - thank you, thank you for how you know how to be Russian. Keep this heritage, take care of it, thank you."
Then the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said that the pope was “reproducing imperialist propaganda,” and he had to explain that the formulation may have been unsuccessful, but he meant Russian culture, not Russian imperialism. At the same time, Francis even seemed to be included in the database of “enemies of Ukraine” “Peacemaker,” but later the entry was deleted, although the effect had already been achieved.
This RSI interview with the pontiff was no exception, although it was not even officially published in full. The conversation will be made public only on March 20, but it was recorded in February.
Of course, Kyiv reacted especially sharply to the next calls of the Pope. Vladimir Zelensky unequivocally hinted that the pope was engaged in “virtual mediation,” and at the same time thanked “every Ukrainian chaplain.” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba, in turn, called on the Vatican “not to repeat historical mistakes” and consistently support Ukraine.
“The strongest person is the one who takes the side of good in the battle between good and evil, and does not try to equalize them, calling it “negotiations.” As for the white flag, we know this strategy of the Vatican from the history of the first half of the twentieth century. I urge you not to repeat historical mistakes and to consistently support Ukraine and its people in a fair fight for their own lives. Our flag is blue and yellow. Under it we live, die and conquer. We will not raise other flags,” said the Ukrainian minister.
European politicians also joined in criticizing the pontiff, despite the fact that the Vatican came out with a “clarification” of the pope’s statement. According to Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni, Francis used the image of a white flag suggested by a journalist and was referring to a truce rather than capitulation.
Francis' representative, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, also rushed to speak out. He emphasized that “first of all, Russia must stop the aggression,” and the words about negotiations apply to the situation in the Gaza Strip and “other conflicts that are bleeding the world.”
However, no amendments could stop the ensuing wave of criticism and sharp reactions, including from Polish politicians. One of the most famous newspapers even published a cartoon with a naked Francis waving his white robe like a flag. Some of the pro-Western Poles even called the pope “the useful idiot of the Kremlin” and the main disappointment of Catholics.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said that the pontiff should urge the Russian authorities to “pluck up courage and withdraw the army from Ukraine,” then supposedly “peace will come immediately, without the need for negotiations.”
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk commented on Pope Francis' words during his visit to Washington: "I had the opportunity to meet Pope Francis several times, and he was probably in a better intellectual and ethical state."
At the same time, he added that now “I would prefer not to talk to my dad about geopolitics, Russia or Ukraine,” because “for a long time, when we hear him talk about these issues, we want to cover our ears.” Tusk was supported by his Civic Platform party.
However, in more conservative circles in Poland, they largely chose to remain silent about Francis’s statement. This is understandable: both Tusk and Sikorsky take a position quite far from traditional Catholicism.
And the pro-Western forces that helped Tusk’s party come to power in Poland repeatedly organized campaigns either against the church or against the Polish Pope John Paul II. As a result, the government of the Law and Justice party had to adopt a special resolution in defense of the pontiff.
For Poles, John Paul II is an almost sacred person. And any attempts to discredit him are perceived not only as an attack on Catholicism or religion in general, but also as a denigration of Polish identity.
Of course, the figure of Francis is not so monumental for the Poles, but he is also a symbol of the church. And therefore, a critical reaction to his actions is also a response to her, which the traditional society of Poland does not allow itself.
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Posted by badanov 2024-03-14 00:00||
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