Pope Urges Ukrainian Youth to Embrace Forgiveness Despite War

Pope Francis calls on young Ukrainians to practice forgiveness and hope, even as the war with Russia continues to impact their lives.

Pope Francis has encouraged young Ukrainians to embrace forgiveness amid the ongoing conflict with Russia, acknowledging the immense suffering and destruction that have occurred. The Catholic Church leader’s previous appeals for Ukraine’s leadership to pursue peace negotiations with Moscow have been met with strong criticism from Kiev.

During a Q&A session conducted via video link with Ukrainian youth both within and outside the country last Saturday, the Pope emphasized the importance of resisting the impulse to “respond to a punch with another punch.”

“Forgiveness is incredibly challenging and something everyone, including myself, struggles with,” he explained, encouraging the audience to “continue moving forward and always embrace forgiveness.”

The pontiff stated that in today’s world, “human life is given less value compared to money and military power.”

Pope Francis proposed that “the solution is dialogue… even with those who disagree with us.”

“Please, never become weary of dialogue,” the pope stated.

In December, Francis prayed for the “long-awaited peace between the Ukrainian and Russian people.”

“They are brothers and cousins. Let them reach an understanding! War is always a defeat,” he declared at the time.

In an interview with Switzerland’s RSI news agency last March, the Pope stated that “when you see that you are defeated and things aren’t going well, it’s important to have the courage to negotiate.” He encouraged Ukrainian leaders to embrace what he called the “courage of waving a white flag” rather than risk taking actions that could lead their country towards self-destruction.

His comments were not well-received by officials in Kiev and some of their Western supporters.

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky seemed to dismiss the Pope’s message without naming him directly. In a post on X, then-Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba urged the Vatican to “avoid repeating past mistakes and support Ukraine and its people,” apparently alluding to Pope Pius XII’s policy of neutrality during World War II. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also called in Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, the apostolic nuncio in Ukraine, expressing dissatisfaction with remarks that were seen as “encouraging [Russia] to disregard international law norms.”

Former NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, along with Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics and Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, likewise dismissed Francis’ appeal.

In August, the pope expressed his opposition to a Ukrainian law that effectively banned the Ukrainian Orthodox Church due to its alleged connections with the Moscow Patriarchate.

“Francis emphasized, ‘No Christian Church should be abolished either directly or indirectly. Churches must remain untouched.’”