CV NEWS FEED // Ukraine has summoned the Vatican’s Ukrainian envoy to Kyiv in wake of Pope Francis’ recent “white flag” comments about the ongoing war in Russia.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Vatican’s Ukraine diplomat, Visvaldas Kulbodas, after Pope Francis appeared to suggest that Ukraine should “have the courage of the white flag” and surrender to Russia.
As CatholicVote previously reported, the Swiss Radio and Television Network (RSI) released Francis’ comments in part of an interview clip last week.
The Holy Father had responded to a question posed by the interviewer, Lorenzo Buccella, by saying he believed “it is the stronger who sees the situation, who thinks of the people, who has the courage of the white flag to negotiate.”
“When you see that you are defeated, that things are not going,” the Pope continued, “you need to have the courage to negotiate.”
The comments sparked backlash from government and Church officials in Ukraine, including President Volodomyr Zelenskyy and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, as well as the Head of the Greek Church in Ukraine, His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk.
The Kremlin also responded to the Pope’s comments, which were reportedly aimed at calling for a ceasefire according to Vatican officials, describing them as “quite understandable.”
“Unfortunately, both the statements of the pope and the repeated statements of other parties, including ours, have recently received absolutely harsh refusals,” said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Monday.
The diplomatic move to summon Kulbodas flows from Ukraine’s opposition towards surrender, as reiterated by the Ukrainian President in an address on Sunday, when he declared pointedly that it is Russia, “who has to stop for the war to end.”
