Pope Francis warns that the war in Ukraine is powered by competing 'empires' and 'arms industry'
- Pope Francis has said that a number of different empires are powering the war in Ukraine.
- Speaking on Swiss TV, he criticized the forces driving the war, as well as the arms industry.
Pope Francis has warned that the war in Ukraine is being powered by several different "empires" besides Russia.
In previews of an interview with Italian-language Swiss television RSI, timed to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his election as Pope, he said the year-long conflict is propelled by "imperial interests, not just of the Russian empire, but of empires from elsewhere. The great powers are all involved. The field of battle is Ukraine."
He added, "it is typical of the empire to put nations in second place."
He also commented on the role of the arms industry. "A technician said to me: if weapons were not produced for a year, the problem of hunger in the world would be solved. It is a market. War is waged, old weapons are sold, new ones are tested, he said.
Austen Ivereigh, the author of "The Great Reformer – Francis and the Making of a Radical Pope," told The Telegraph that Argentinian-born Pope Francis's had a global South perspective.
"This is not about moral equivalence. He knows Russia is the aggressor. But he is deeply skeptical about the way in which the war has developed and thinks no one is really trying to secure peace."
Pope Francis said he would like to engage in peace talks with President Putin. He explained that he went to the Russian embassy to the Holy See on the second day of the war to offer negotiation services.
He said Sergey Lavrov, the Russian minister of foreign affairs, "wrote to me saying thank you, but now is not the time."
Writing on Twitter on the anniversary of Putin's invasion, Pope Francis said, "Let us remain close to the battered Ukrainian people who continue to suffer and ask ourselves: has everything possible been done to stop the war? Peace built on rubble will never be a true victory."
The Pope's full interview with RSI will be broadcast on March 12.