Volodymyr Zelensky has criticised Pope Francis’s call to negotiate with Russia two years into its invasion, dismissing the pontiff’s calls for Kyiv to have the “courage to raise the white flag” as “virtual mediation” from thousands of miles away.
In his evening address, President Zelensky thanked Ukrainian chaplains, adding: “This is what the church is about – being with people. Not 2,500 kilometres away, engaging in virtual mediation between those who want to live and those who want to kill them.”
The Pope provoked anger when he said Ukraine should negotiate with Russia, which has seized swathes of its territory during the war. “When you see that you are defeated, that things are not working out, have the courage to negotiate,” he said.
Mr Zelensky’s comments echoed those of Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, who earlier posted on social media: “Our flag is a yellow and blue one. This is the flag by which we live, die, and prevail. We shall never raise any other flags.”
Radosaw Sikorski, the Polish foreign minister, also hit back at the Pope’s comments, posting on Twitter: “How about, for balance, encouraging Putin to have the courage to withdraw his army from Ukraine?”
Hit him! 🖐, and when he turns the other cheek HIT HIM AGAIN! 🖐🖐
😂😂😂
Why does the Pope comment on such topics and why do people even listen to him? Completely irrelevant, what else can he say as a representative of the Catholic Church?
[deleted]
Ukrains flag is yellow and blue..😂
Fuck the pope he’s a Russian boot licker
Pope’s too busy fucking little children to see sense it seems…
Maybe the Vatican should do what it does best and help Russian war criminals escape to South America.
Useless words from a useless religion.
I’m Sicilian .. through and through . I knew the pope was always doing business with Putin ever since I saw how many Russians have high estates in Italy and the oligarchs lol .. I was never a fan of the pope .. he’s the least vocal pope in history .. during world war 2 the pope led a march through Europe for peace! Millions Marched! What is this pope doing!? Being strong armed by Putin because he’s a being blackmailed for political opinion because Putin has him in his pocket .. basically everybody involved in child trafficking .. this is how the Clintons dig dirt on their political opponents and sway them form political purposes .. very crooked game .. the pope is political . Maybe somebody should remind the pope about the two kinds of evils . Doing evil and Seeing evil being done and doing nothing .. he’s done nothing but mediate for Russia .. I’m taking notes on who’s all influenced and bought . The Pope should have been this vocal February 24th 2022 and stepped up while all these innocent people were being targeted not after.. Putin used the pope for propaganda political trap against Zelenskyy ..because it’s the pope… and the pope aligned with Putin .. nothing I already didn’t know .. he’s not very holy and never was .. Vatican is a business
The Pope needs to be in a nursing home, and all of the *Cardinals* that advise/tell him what to do must be on Putin’s payroll for this pathetic statement to be allowed.
Pope needs to stay in his lane and maybe focus on the child molesters in the clergy.
Being neutral means supporting Putin. This Pope needs a new job.
Yeah there’ll be NO. WHITE. FLAG. Upon youuuur door
2024 and the world still acts like the pope and what he says is important
Just illustrates the complete hypocrisy in the Catholic church and Vatican, as a whole. Always has been this way and will never change. It’s nothing but a politically aligned corrupt business.
The pope is just a leftist with strong anti-american sentiments. Like most argentinians.
Pope said a lot more, in that interview: he said that Ukraine is defeated.
Given how misinformed he is anything he says about the conflict is hot air.
Someone reminds the Pope what happened the last time we accept surrender to a maniac dictator.. if we let him win he won’t stop and other thousands people will die!
Pope is scared of Putin probably he knows something
and now you know how the Nazis escaped to Argentina via the Vatican
Fly the white flag…of war!
F them the catatonic church is responsible in the past for many acts of genocide against native populations throughout the americas and parts of asia
I wonder if Brazil invaded Argentina he would say the same thing.
He should have waved that white flag when that woman didn’t stop to shake his hand.
Man fuck him no wonder more than half of Scotland hate the cunt
Why does he not ask Russia to withdraw? That would be just.
The pope is full of shit, now my wife is mad and said I should show respect….. so I said “ I respectfully believe that the pope is full of shit, discussion over “
The Pope fucking up bigtime on this one.. thought I had a bit of respect for him, but for him to side with Putin is too much.
Pope washed his robe and hanged on the wind.
As a catholic I know that he is a man of peace. He probably thinks that only negotiations can end this massacre. Maybe he had a phonecall from his collegea patriarch Kirill?
**Dear Pope,**
For centuries, the Catholic Church has been fighting against the devil and demons. After dark ages of indulgence trading, witch hunts, abortions, and countless questionable exorcisms, the world still consists of sin and temptation.
The devil and his demons are omnipresent and their forms are manifold.
Perhaps it would be helpful if the Catholic Church gave up the fight against evil so that there could finally be peace on earth.
Wave the white flag – Amen.
What makes anyone believe Russia will honor THIS agreement when they dont with any others??
The amount of famous people deeply disappointing me increase.
They are done.
The Pope is known for giving to charity. In this case, Putin’s charity.
It’s unfortunate that Pope Francis is no John Paul II who helped his Polish homeland throw off the Soviets. John Paul II would never have called for appeasement.
Sovereignty is sovereignty. Idc what the historic maps say. Russia started it, unprovoked, Russia needs to leave.
The pope is a joke.
Would the Pope let Russia simply walk in and take control of Vatican City?
Declare war on Vatican and see how they surrender.
40 comments
***The Telegraph reports:***
Volodymyr Zelensky has criticised Pope Francis’s call to negotiate with Russia two years into its invasion, dismissing the pontiff’s calls for Kyiv to have the “courage to raise the white flag” as “virtual mediation” from thousands of miles away.
In his evening address, President Zelensky thanked Ukrainian chaplains, adding: “This is what the church is about – being with people. Not 2,500 kilometres away, engaging in virtual mediation between those who want to live and those who want to kill them.”
The Pope provoked anger when he said Ukraine should negotiate with Russia, which has seized swathes of its territory during the war. “When you see that you are defeated, that things are not working out, have the courage to negotiate,” he said.
Mr Zelensky’s comments echoed those of Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, who earlier posted on social media: “Our flag is a yellow and blue one. This is the flag by which we live, die, and prevail. We shall never raise any other flags.”
Radosaw Sikorski, the Polish foreign minister, also hit back at the Pope’s comments, posting on Twitter: “How about, for balance, encouraging Putin to have the courage to withdraw his army from Ukraine?”
**Read more:** [**https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/03/11/ukraine-russia-war-news-latest-zelensky-pope-white-flag/**](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/03/11/ukraine-russia-war-news-latest-zelensky-pope-white-flag/)
Hit him! 🖐, and when he turns the other cheek HIT HIM AGAIN! 🖐🖐
😂😂😂
Why does the Pope comment on such topics and why do people even listen to him? Completely irrelevant, what else can he say as a representative of the Catholic Church?
[deleted]
Ukrains flag is yellow and blue..😂
Fuck the pope he’s a Russian boot licker
Pope’s too busy fucking little children to see sense it seems…
Maybe the Vatican should do what it does best and help Russian war criminals escape to South America.
Useless words from a useless religion.
I’m Sicilian .. through and through . I knew the pope was always doing business with Putin ever since I saw how many Russians have high estates in Italy and the oligarchs lol .. I was never a fan of the pope .. he’s the least vocal pope in history .. during world war 2 the pope led a march through Europe for peace! Millions Marched! What is this pope doing!? Being strong armed by Putin because he’s a being blackmailed for political opinion because Putin has him in his pocket .. basically everybody involved in child trafficking .. this is how the Clintons dig dirt on their political opponents and sway them form political purposes .. very crooked game .. the pope is political . Maybe somebody should remind the pope about the two kinds of evils . Doing evil and Seeing evil being done and doing nothing .. he’s done nothing but mediate for Russia .. I’m taking notes on who’s all influenced and bought . The Pope should have been this vocal February 24th 2022 and stepped up while all these innocent people were being targeted not after.. Putin used the pope for propaganda political trap against Zelenskyy ..because it’s the pope… and the pope aligned with Putin .. nothing I already didn’t know .. he’s not very holy and never was .. Vatican is a business
The Pope needs to be in a nursing home, and all of the *Cardinals* that advise/tell him what to do must be on Putin’s payroll for this pathetic statement to be allowed.
Pope needs to stay in his lane and maybe focus on the child molesters in the clergy.
Being neutral means supporting Putin. This Pope needs a new job.
Yeah there’ll be NO. WHITE. FLAG. Upon youuuur door
2024 and the world still acts like the pope and what he says is important
Just illustrates the complete hypocrisy in the Catholic church and Vatican, as a whole. Always has been this way and will never change. It’s nothing but a politically aligned corrupt business.
The pope is just a leftist with strong anti-american sentiments. Like most argentinians.
Pope said a lot more, in that interview: he said that Ukraine is defeated.
Given how misinformed he is anything he says about the conflict is hot air.
Someone reminds the Pope what happened the last time we accept surrender to a maniac dictator.. if we let him win he won’t stop and other thousands people will die!
Pope is scared of Putin probably he knows something
and now you know how the Nazis escaped to Argentina via the Vatican
Fly the white flag…of war!
F them the catatonic church is responsible in the past for many acts of genocide against native populations throughout the americas and parts of asia
I wonder if Brazil invaded Argentina he would say the same thing.
He should have waved that white flag when that woman didn’t stop to shake his hand.
Man fuck him no wonder more than half of Scotland hate the cunt
Why does he not ask Russia to withdraw? That would be just.
The pope is full of shit, now my wife is mad and said I should show respect….. so I said “ I respectfully believe that the pope is full of shit, discussion over “
The Pope fucking up bigtime on this one.. thought I had a bit of respect for him, but for him to side with Putin is too much.
Pope washed his robe and hanged on the wind.
As a catholic I know that he is a man of peace. He probably thinks that only negotiations can end this massacre. Maybe he had a phonecall from his collegea patriarch Kirill?
**Dear Pope,**
For centuries, the Catholic Church has been fighting against the devil and demons. After dark ages of indulgence trading, witch hunts, abortions, and countless questionable exorcisms, the world still consists of sin and temptation.
The devil and his demons are omnipresent and their forms are manifold.
Perhaps it would be helpful if the Catholic Church gave up the fight against evil so that there could finally be peace on earth.
Wave the white flag – Amen.
What makes anyone believe Russia will honor THIS agreement when they dont with any others??
The amount of famous people deeply disappointing me increase.
They are done.
The Pope is known for giving to charity. In this case, Putin’s charity.
It’s unfortunate that Pope Francis is no John Paul II who helped his Polish homeland throw off the Soviets. John Paul II would never have called for appeasement.
Sovereignty is sovereignty. Idc what the historic maps say. Russia started it, unprovoked, Russia needs to leave.
The pope is a joke.
Would the Pope let Russia simply walk in and take control of Vatican City?
Declare war on Vatican and see how they surrender.