Ukraine message from Pope Francis
The pope, who made a three-day visit to Hungary focused on Ukraine and immigration, answered questions from journalists who were accompanying him on the plane back from Budapest.
Stating that during his contacts in Hungary, Pope Francis assessed the situation in Ukraine with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and the Representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in Budapest, Metropolitan Hilarion, “I believe that peace will always be made by opening channels, peace it cannot be done by closing channels. (About the war) We talk about everything. We talk about it because everyone is interested in the path to peace,” he used the phrase.
Speaking of a peace mission that includes the Vatican, the Pope said: “I am ready in this regard. I am willing to do whatever it takes. There is also a mission in progress, but it is not open to the public. Every time this is made public, I will also talk about it.” He made the assessment of him.
INTERVIEW WITH THE LEADER OF THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
Recalling that they plan to meet with the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, in Jerusalem in June 2022, the Pope said: “This meeting has been suspended due to the war, but it will have to take place. After the war started, I only had a 40-minute meeting (video conference) with Patriarch Kirill. Subsequently, I maintain my relationship with Kirill through the Foreign Relations Officer of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolit Antonij.” he said.
Stating that the Vatican will respond to Ukraine’s request that children taken to Russia during the war be returned to their homes, the Pope said: “I think the Vatican mediates in some cases of prisoner exchanges, things went well for Through the Embassy, this can also go well. The Vatican is in a position to do this because it is right and just. We have to help because it’s not an obvious spy, it’s a humanitarian issue. We must do everything humanly possible.” he commented.
Pope Francis also stated that Italy, Malta, Spain, Greece and southern Cyprus, the 5 EU countries in the Mediterranean, where immigrants land in irregular migration, are the countries that suffer from this, saying: It is a problem he has to take. said. (BRITISH AUTOMOBILE CLUB)