I got so excited to catch this news item reported by the Canadian Press (source Associated Press) on March 9. This is what I wrote two years ago at the start of the Russia-Ukraine war and reposted a couple of times on Facebook, on my blog, etc., but I got almost nil response to my plea for raising the White Flag. My final wordings were: Surrender is an ethical and moral imperative that blocks the right to kill on a massive scale. Here, I reproduce the story from the Canadian Press, followed by my White Flag article. Sorry, it would be a bit of a long reading, but I’m happy my argument got support from Pope Francis.
Headline:
Pope Francis: Ukraine should have the courage of the ‘white flag’ to negotiate the end of war with Russia
Story by The Canadian Press
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis said in an interview that Ukraine, facing a possible defeat, should have the courage to negotiate an end to the war with Russia and not be ashamed to sit at the same table to carry out peace talks.
The pope made his appeal during an interview recorded last month with Swiss broadcaster RSI, which was partially released on Saturday.
“I think that the strongest one is the one who looks at the situation, thinks about the people and has the courage of the white flag, and negotiates,” Francis said, adding that talks should take place with the help of international powers.
Ukraine remains firm on not engaging directly with Russia on peace talks, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said multiple times the initiative in peace negotiations must belong to the country which has been invaded.
Russia is gaining momentum on the battlefield in the war now in its third year, and Ukraine is running low on ammunition. Meanwhile, some of Ukraine’s allies in the West are delicately raising the prospect of sending troops.
Francis said in the RSI interview that “the word negotiate is a courageous word.”
“When you see that you are defeated, that things are not going well, you have to have the courage to negotiate,” he said. “Negotiations are never a surrender.”
NOW PLEASE READ MY ARTICLE:
ONE BRAVE HEART MUST YIELD AND SURRENDER TO END THE HORRORS OF WAR:
Let him overpower and occupy Ukraine, amass more to his vast kingdom, and paint how he paints his ‘red’ sprawling empire.
The man is blazoned with fake worries about NATO expansion threatening Russian security.
With that excuse, he marches his troops to Ukraine for expanded domination over more people and more land in the region.
But for how long would he carry on with his deeds of power greed?
At age 70, heaven prohibits; he would not live and rule till eternity.
Underneath this universal truth lies the perception that nothing is permanent.
What looks to be permanent today prepares the stage for the change.
However, till the next stage, with a mind of a demolition derby, the Russian behemoth levels whatever comes in front of him, the residential buildings, schools, hospitals, etc.
The infuriated spree continues, bringing miseries, calamities, and devastation to the country he wants to be under his arms.
But in this crusade, humanity gets crushed, people die, and collapsed buildings transform into graves.
Continuous strikes and thunders of missiles and bombs make the citizens homeless and refugees in minutes; millions desperately seek shelter elsewhere.
Worst of all, when we momentarily grasp the feelings of an innocent child gazing at the rolling scene of devastation, destruction, and deaths. If asked, “Do you know or understand all this, and why is the war around?” The answer is naive: “No!”
Children have rights, too, that include their survival and future.
At least for the sake of a tender, ignorant child representing the next generation inhabiting the planet Earth, the call of humanity seeks an immediate stop to the brutal war, even if it means surrendering.
Surrendering sounds like defeat.
But in this defeat lies the victory, a liberation from the horrors of war.
Surrender is an ethical and moral imperative that blocks the right to kill on a massive scale.
Wars, after all, are crimes against humanity.
One brave heart must raise the white flag to end the havoc and bloodshed called war.
After all, the only winner in this mad war so far is the war industry, which has amassed billions of dollars.
-Promod Puri
Promod Puri.com 