www.vaticannews.va
The way Colm tweeted it I read it as if the bold part were part of the whole quote.I am confused. Did Francis actually use the phrase "Ukraine must have the courage to raise the white flag and negotiate", or is that supposed to be a summary of his remarks? The Twitter post reads in full, bolding original:
Pope Francis: “Ukraine must have the courage to raise the white flag and negotiate”... In an interview with Swiss television the Pope said: "You are ashamed, but with how many deaths will it end? Negotiate in time, look for some country to act as a mediator... Don't be ashamed to negotiate before things get worse." #UkraineRussiaWar
But then the quote it offers afterwards doesn't say anything about white flags. So was the bolded portion an actual quote, or some kind of summary?
I tried looking to see if I could find a transcript or something. This is the best I could find:
‘Pope asks for the courage to negotiate for Ukraine’ - Vatican News
The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, responds to journalists regarding Pope Francis’ statements in an interview with a Swiss TV ...
In the interview, the interviewer Lorenzo Buccella asks the Pope: “In Ukraine, some call for the courage of surrender, of the white flag. But others say that this would legitimize the stronger party. What do you think?”
Pope Francis replied: “That is one interpretation. But I believe that the stronger one is the one who sees the situation, who thinks of the people, who has the courage of the white flag, to negotiate. And today, negotiations are possible with the help of international powers. The word ‘negotiate’ is a couragous word. When you see that you are defeated, that things are not going well, it is necessary to have the courage to negotiate. You may feel ashamed, but with how many deaths will it end? Negotiate in time; look for some country that can mediate. Today, for example in the war in Ukraine, there are many who want to mediate. Turkey has offered itself for this. And others. Do not be ashamed to negotiate before things get worse.”
If this is accurate, then Francis never said "Ukraine must have the courage to raise the white flag and negotiate" and this is really more of a summary. It's not necessarily an unfair extrapolation of his words, but there is a difference between what was explicitly said and what is extrapolated. It should be noted it seems like the only reason he used the phrase "white flag" was because the interviewer mentioned it first.
I found this article from the Vatican that hopefully provides more context. I haven’t had a chance to read it yet since I’m at work right now…I am confused. Did Francis actually use the phrase "Ukraine must have the courage to raise the white flag and negotiate", or is that supposed to be a summary of his remarks? The Twitter post reads in full, bolding original:
Pope Francis: “Ukraine must have the courage to raise the white flag and negotiate”... In an interview with Swiss television the Pope said: "You are ashamed, but with how many deaths will it end? Negotiate in time, look for some country to act as a mediator... Don't be ashamed to negotiate before things get worse." #UkraineRussiaWar
But then the quote it offers afterwards doesn't say anything about white flags. So was the bolded portion an actual quote, or some kind of summary?
I tried looking to see if I could find a transcript or something. This is the best I could find:
‘Pope asks for the courage to negotiate for Ukraine’ - Vatican News
The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, responds to journalists regarding Pope Francis’ statements in an interview with a Swiss TV ...
In the interview, the interviewer Lorenzo Buccella asks the Pope: “In Ukraine, some call for the courage of surrender, of the white flag. But others say that this would legitimize the stronger party. What do you think?”
Pope Francis replied: “That is one interpretation. But I believe that the stronger one is the one who sees the situation, who thinks of the people, who has the courage of the white flag, to negotiate. And today, negotiations are possible with the help of international powers. The word ‘negotiate’ is a couragous word. When you see that you are defeated, that things are not going well, it is necessary to have the courage to negotiate. You may feel ashamed, but with how many deaths will it end? Negotiate in time; look for some country that can mediate. Today, for example in the war in Ukraine, there are many who want to mediate. Turkey has offered itself for this. And others. Do not be ashamed to negotiate before things get worse.”
If this is accurate, then Francis never said "Ukraine must have the courage to raise the white flag and negotiate" and this is really more of a summary. It's not necessarily an unfair extrapolation of his words, but there is a difference between what was explicitly said and what is extrapolated. It should be noted it seems like the only reason he used the phrase "white flag" was because the interviewer mentioned it first.
www.vaticannews.va
Russia and Ukraine, allegedly, were in discussion about negeotiating a peace, until UK P.M. Boris Johnson made an unplanned visit to Ukraine...after which, Ukraine decided they'd continue fighting Russian forces.
This seems like various Western powers conducting a war by proxy using the Ukrainian people as the cannon fodder to damage Russia. And Russia nonetheless willing to play the aggressor part.
I can't remember if it was Crimea or the Donbas region or both, but I recall some coverage pointing out that the residents of that/those region(s) had been ethnically Russian for a long time and they all wanted to be annexed by Russia and Ukraine was getting in the way of that.
The analogy is similar, but not quite right. Ukraine is not homogeneous, just like Canada. There are French-speaking states in Canada, if I'm not mistaken. In Ukraine, for centuries, a kind of difusion took place with all neighboring peoples.
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