Vatican City - The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, responds to journalists regarding Pope Francis’ statements in an interview with a Swiss TV station, saying “the Pope picked up the image of the white flag, proposed by the interviewer, to indicate a cessation of hostilities, a truce reached with the courage of negotiation. His hope is for a diplomatic solution for a just and lasting peace.”

With his words on Ukraine, Pope Francis intended to call for a ceasefire and to relaunch the courage of negotiation.

Matteo Bruni, the Director of the Holy See Press Office, responded to journalists' questions on Saturday evening regarding an interview with Radio Télévision Suisse (RTS), a portion of which was published earlier in the day.

Mr. Bruni explained that the Pope’s desire for Ukraine, which he always describes as “martyred,” was fully expressed in his words at the Angelus on February 25, the day after second anniversary of the outbreak of the war.

On that occasion, the Pope reaffirmed his “deep affection” for the Ukrainian people. He also invited all parties to “create the conditions for a diplomatic solution in search of a just and lasting peace.”

“The Pope,” specified Mr. Bruni, “uses the term white flag, and responds by picking up the image proposed by the interviewer, to indicate a cessation of hostilities, a truce reached with the courage of negotiation. Elsewhere in the interview, speaking of another situation of conflict, but referring to every situation of war, the Pope clearly stated: ‘Negotiations are never a surrender.’”

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.”

Thus, the Pope's words, taken from an image proposed by the interviewer, reiterate, among other things, what has already been stated in these two years of continuous appeals and public statements, namely the importance of dialogue against the "madness" of war and the primary concern for the fate of the civilian population.

“The Pope's hope," reaffirmed Mr. Bruni, “is and remains that which he has always repeated in these years, and reiterated recently on the occasion of the second anniversary of the conflict: ‘As I renew my very deep affection for the martyred Ukrainian people and pray for all, especially for the many innocent victims, I implore that a little bit of humanity can be found that allows the creation of the conditions for a diplomatic solution in search of a just and lasting peace'.”

‘Negotiations are never a surrender’
Pope Francis during the said interview said that both sides of any war should always come to the table to carry out peace talks.

“Negotiations are never a surrender,” he said. “It is the courage not to carry a country to suicide.”

Speaking about peace talks, the Pope urged parties to the war in Ukraine to “not be ashamed to negotiate before things get worse.”

He pointed out that negotiations can also be carried out with the help of “international powers.”

“The word ‘negotiate’ is a courageous word,” he said. “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.”

‘War is always a human defeat, not a geographic one’
Later in the interview, Pope Francis repeated his refrain that “war is madness; it is madness.”

Asked about the image of the dove as a symbol of peace, the Pope recalled an event that occurred during his Sunday Angelus prayer on January 26, 2014. After two children with him released a pair of white doves after his appeal for peace, the doves were attacked by a black crow and a seagull.

“There is an image that always comes to me,” he said in the Swiss TV interview. “On the occasion of a commemoration where I had to speak about peace and release two doves, the first time I did it, immediately a crow present in St. Peter's Square rose up, grabbed the dove, and took it away. It's harsh. And this is somewhat what happens with war. Many innocent people cannot grow, many children have no future.”

Many Ukrainian children come to greet him, added the Pope, lamenting that they have lost the ability to smile.

“A child who doesn’t know how to smile does not seem to have a future,” he said. “War is always a defeat: a human defeat, not a geographic one.”

‘War is the power of darkness’
Pope Francis went on to consider the influence of arms manufacturers on wars.

“There are some who say, ‘It’s true but we must defend ourselves…’ But then you realize they have a factory that produces airplanes to bomb others,” he said. “Defend ourselves, no. Destroy. How does a war end? With death, destruction, and children without parents.”

He noted that there are always geographic or historical situations that provoke a war, leading to the conclusion that the war “seems just based on practical motives.”

“But behind every war,” he added, “there is the arms industry, and this means money.”

War, said Pope Francis, “is darkness, the power of darkness.”