Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Sheikh Qassem: Our supporters make up more than half of Lebanon's population, and all of these people are united under the banner of protecting Lebanon, its Resistance, its people, and its integrity.
Sheikh Qassem: There will be no phased handing in of our arms. [The Israelis] must first enact the agreement before we start talking about a defensive strategy.
Sheikh Qassem: Be brave in the face of foreign pressures, and we will be by your side in this stance.
Sheikh Qassem: Stripping us of our arms is like stripping us of our very soul, and this will prompt us to show them our might.
Sheikh Qassem: We will not abandon our arms, for they gave us dignity; we will not abandon our arms, for they protect us against our enemy.
Sheikh Qassem: The US efforts we are seeing are aimed at sabotaging Lebanon and constitute a call for sedition.
Sheikh Qassem: If you truly want to establish sovereignty and work for Lebanon’s interests, then stop the aggression.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States, which is meddling in Lebanon, is not trustworthy but rather poses a danger to it.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States is preventing the weapons that protect the homeland.
Sheikh Qassem: The government’s latest decision [on the disarmament of the Resistance] is non-charter-based, and if the government continues down this path, it is not faithful to Lebanon’s sovereignty.

Pope urges Kiev to pursue 'courage of the white flag' in peace talks

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 9 Mar 2024 23:43
4 Min Read

This marked the first time Francis employs terms like "white flag" or "defeated" in discussing the Ukraine war.

  • x
  • Pope
    Pope Francis visits the parish church of St. Pius V for the "24 hours for the Lord" Lenten initiative of prayer and reconciliation, in Rome, Friday, March 8, 2024 (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

In an interview recorded last month with Swiss broadcaster RSI, Pope Francis said that Ukraine should demonstrate what he described as the bravery of the "white flag" and engage in negotiations to conclude the war with Russia.

The issue of this interview comes as Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan offered to host a summit between Ukraine and Russia. The offer was presented after a meeting in Istanbul with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.

While Zelensky claimed he wanted peace, he also stated that he did not want to lose any territory.

Zelensky's own peace plan involves the withdrawal of Russian troops even from Crimea and the restoration of 1991 state borders, conditions which have been ruled out by the Kremlin regarding a potential peace talk.

Read more: West was 'overly optimistic' about Ukraine in 2023: NATO commander

In the interview, Francis was queried about his stance on a debate concerning Ukraine's response to the conflict, with one side suggesting surrender due to the inability to resist Russian forces, while the other side argues that capitulation would validate the actions of the stronger party. The interviewer referenced the term "white flag" in posing the question. 

"It is one interpretation, that is true," Francis said in the interview. "But I think that the strongest one is the one who looks at the situation, thinks about the people has the courage of the white flag, and negotiates."

Francis further suggested that discussions should be facilitated with the assistance of global actors.

"The word negotiate is a courageous word. When you see that you are defeated, that things are not going well, you have to have the courage to negotiate," Francis said.

Related News

EU strategy to isolate Russia has failed: Hungary's Orban

Russian forces advance in Krasnyi Lyman direction, DPR head reports

It is believed to be the first instance of Francis employing phrases like "white flag" or "defeated" when addressing the war in Ukraine, notwithstanding his previous remarks advocating for diplomatic dialogue.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement that the pope employed the term "white flag" as it was used by the interviewer. He further used it "to indicate a stop to hostilities (and) a truce achieved with the courage of negotiations".

Read more: Putin: Ukraine war a 'great tragedy' resulting from Western desires

Last year, the 87-year-old pontiff dispatched a peace envoy, Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, to Kiev, Moscow, and Washington to engage with leaders in those nations.

"One may feel shame," Francis said about negotiating, "but how many dead will it (the war) end up with? (One should) negotiate in time, find a country that can be a mediator," Francis said, mentioning Turkey among the countries that had offered.

"Do not be ashamed of negotiating, before things get worse," said Francis, who has made hundreds of appeals for what he calls "martyred Ukraine". When asked about the potential to personally mediate the conflict, Francis said "I am here".

Elsewhere during the interview, Francis spoke on the war on Gaza, suggesting that "negotiating is never a surrender". But unlike the war in Ukraine, the war in Gaza involves a genocide, an important aspect of the war that the Pope failed to consider.

Pope Francis, pro-Russia?

In August 2023, Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak called Pope Francis a "tool of Russian propaganda" who supports the establishment of a "Russian world", after Pope Francis convened with Catholic youth from Russia on August 25, 2023 via teleconference.

During the conference, he reportedly urged them to put in effort for "reconciliation", reminding them to never abandon their great cultural heritage.

Podolyak expressed to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera: "It seems that the Pope has once again become a tool of Russian propaganda," adding that the pontiff's address was "destructive for modern humanism."  

Read more: Lithuania calls in Vatican envoy over Pope's remarks on Russia

  • Ukraine crisis
  • Russia
  • Russian special military operation
  • Pope Francis
  • Ukraine
  • Vatican

Most Read

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, executive director of the defense division of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, undated (Social media)

Israeli-born US prosecutor drops Israeli officer child sex crime

  • Politics
  • 19 Aug 2025
Displaced Palestinians walk through a makeshift camp along the beach in Gaza City, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)

Hamas, other factions accept Egypt-Qatar ceasefire proposal: Exclusive

  • Politics
  • 18 Aug 2025
Almost instantly after the Helsinki Accords were signed, organisations sprouted to document purported violations, whose findings were fed to overseas embassies for international amplification. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

How ‘Human Rights’ became a Western weapon

  • Opinion
  • 23 Aug 2025
Israeli soldiers stand on the top of armoured vehicles parked on an area near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 (AP)

Palestinian fighters target Israeli soldiers, vehicles in Gaza

  • Politics
  • 21 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime minister's office in al-Quds, Occupied Palestine, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu deliberately derailing truce with Gaza occupation: Hamas

Irish President Michael Higgins arrives to deliver his speech during a 42nd World Food Day celebration at FAO headquarters in Rome, on Oct. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Politics

Irish president renews call for UN military intervention in Gaza

US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the US Embassy in Aukar, northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, July 21, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US envoy, Netanyahu discuss restraining attacks on Lebanon, withdrawal

Smoke billows following Israeli airstrikes in multiple areas in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Ansar Allah vow sustained Gaza support despite Israeli strikes

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS