Pope: War in Ukraine benefits arms dealers
Pope Francis stated that arms dealers have an interest in the war in Ukraine, suggesting that the conflict goes beyond the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
Pope Francis stated that arms dealers have an interest in the war in Ukraine. He made these remarks on September 23, 2023, as reported by Reuters.
"It seems to me that the interests in this war are not just those related to the Ukrainian-Russian problem but to the sale of weapons, the commerce of weapons," he said.
The pontiff emphasized the need to address the problems faced by the Ukrainian people rather than playing games with their martyrdom.
He expressed disapproval of some countries moving backwards from providing Ukraine with weapons, describing it as an "ugly thing".
A representative of the Vatican, Matteo Bruni, clarified that the pope was not taking a stand on whether countries should continue to send weapons to Ukraine or stop sending them.
According to Bruni, "it was a reflection on the consequences of the arms industry: the pope, with a paradox, was saying that those who traffic in weapons never pay the consequences of their choices but leave them to be paid by people, like the Ukrainians, who have been martyred."
Previously, the UOJ reported that Pope Francis was accused by UGCC leader Sviatoslav Shevchuk of being influenced by Russian propaganda and misinformed about the situation in Ukraine.