Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, stated that the “first condition” for any negotiation to end the war in Ukraine is for Russia to put an end to the “aggression”.
“The Holy See pursues this line and continues to call for a ceasefire—and it should be the aggressors who cease fire first—and then the opening of negotiations,” said Cardinal Parolin in an interview published by Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera on March 12.
The prelate made the statement shortly after Pope Francis faced criticism for encouraging Ukraine to show “courage” by negotiating with its aggressor and to consider raising the “white flag”.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, without naming him, criticized Pope Francis by stating that “the church should stand with the people, not mediate from 2,500 kilometers away between those who wish to live and those seeking to destroy you.”
Cardinal Parolin clarified that the Pope has responded to a question and “spoke of negotiation and, in particular, the courage to negotiate, which is never a surrender”.
The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine reported that, since February 24, 2022, there have been 30,457 civilian casualties, including 10,582 fatalities and 19,875 injuries.
Cardinal Parolin urged all parties to consider “the hundreds of thousands of human lives that have been sacrificed” in the conflict, adding that the war against Ukraine “is not the result of an uncontrollable natural disaster but solely of human freedom”.
“The same human free will that caused this tragedy also has the possibility and the responsibility to take steps to end it and pave the way for a diplomatic solution,” he said.
The cardinal also expressed concern about the escalation of the conflict and “the outbreak of new armed clashes”. He also warned against the “dramatic and disturbing signs” of the arms race.
“The widening of the war would mean new suffering, new mourning, new victims, and new destruction, adding to what the Ukrainian people… are now experiencing firsthand, paying the all-too-high price of this unjust war,” he said.
