The Pope called the conflict in Ukraine a world war

The fighting in Ukraine is a world war, their end is not expected in the near future, declared in an interview with ABC, Pope Francis.

The Pope called what is happening in Ukraine “terrible” and said that he continues to condemn the hostilities, but they do not listen to him. According to him, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is sending one of his advisers to the pontiff for the third time.

“I stay in touch, I receive them, I help…,” said the Pope.

He also stated that he does not see the end of the conflict anytime soon “because this is a world war”.

“Many hands interfere with the cauldron of war. I think that a war is started when the empire starts to weaken. And when there are weapons to be used, tested and sold. There is a lot at stake,” the pontiff said.

Earlier, Vatican Foreign Minister Paul Richard Gallagher said that the Holy See is ready to provide a place for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. The archbishop said that since the outbreak of hostilities, the Holy See and the Pope have always been open to such a possibility, but there has been no response from the parties to the conflict. As it became known in November, Pope Francis is involved in the exchange of prisoners from the Russian and Ukrainian sides. Russian Ambassador to the Vatican Alexander Avdeev said that the release of Ukrainian prisoners by the Russian side (or their exchange) is carried out taking into account the lists that Pope Francis regularly provides.

In October the pontiff urged Presidents of Russia and Ukraine to put an end to the conflict and move towards a peaceful dialogue. Before that he saidthat the supply of weapons to Ukraine is morally permissible, since we are talking about the defense of the country.