On board the papal plane, Pope Francis said this Thursday (15) that, although it is a situation “that stinks”, it is necessary to dialogue with those who start a war, at the same time answer whether there was any “red line” regarding the dialogue with Russia during the press conference aboard the papal plane that took him back to Rome after his three-day visit to Kazakhstan.
Sitting in a chair in front of the journalists at the back of the plane due to knee problems, the pope defended that it is necessary to always try to dialogue, even if it is with “the aggressor country”.
“It is always difficult to understand the dialogue with the states that started the war. It is difficult, but we don’t have to discard it, we have to give everyone the opportunity for dialogue, because there is always the possibility that things can be changed”, said Francis, who avoided referring specifically to Russia.
The Argentine pontiff considered that dialogue is necessary because with it one obtains “another point of view”.
“It has to be done, even if it is something that smells bad, but it has to be done because, if not, we will close the only dialogue for peace”, he explained.
Francis, who made more than 80 calls to try to end the war in Ukraine , was criticized a few times for not referring to Russia as an aggressor state.
On the other hand, the pope also referred to the sending of arms to Ukraine by countries to Ukraine as “a political decision ”, but pointed out that “it can be morally acceptable if it is done under certain conditions” while “it is immoral when it can cause more wars or is used only to sell weapons”.
Next, op He stated that “making weapons is a murderous business” and said that someone once explained to him that “if they stopped selling weapons, world hunger would be solved, or education would be given to all”.
