War in Ukraine ‘perhaps was provoked or not prevented,’ says Pope
Rome, Jun 14 (EFE).- Pope Francis said that “World War III has been declared” and that the war in Ukraine may have been “provoked or not prevented,” according to excerpts of his interview with La Civiltà Cattolica published on Tuesday.
“World War III has been declared. This is something that should give us pause for thought. What is happening to humanity that has had three world wars in a century?” Francis said according to the transcription of the interview published by the Vatican website.
When asked about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and how to establish peace, he said “we have to get away from the common mindset of ‘Little Red Riding Hood’: Little Red Riding Hood was good and the wolf was the bad guy.”
“Something global is emerging, with elements that are closely intertwined with each other,” he added.
He condemned the “brutality and ferocity with which this war is being carried out by the troops, generally mercenaries, used by the Russians.”
“But the danger is that we only see this, which is monstrous, and miss the whole drama that is unfolding behind this war, which was perhaps somehow either provoked or not prevented,” he said.
“I also note the interest in testing and selling weapons. It is very sad, but at the end of the day that is what is at stake,” he added.
The pontiff denied being supportive of Russian president Vladimir Putin.
“No, I am not. It would be simplistic and erroneous to say such a thing. I am simply against turning a complex situation into a distinction between good guys and bad guys, without considering the roots and self-interests, which are very complex,” he added.
Francis expressed his admiration for the “heroism of the Ukrainian people.”
What is before our eyes is a situation of world war, global interests, arms sales, and geopolitical appropriation, which is martyring a heroic people. EFE
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