‘World War III Has Been Declared’: Pope Francis Weighs In On ‘Complex’ Situation In Ukraine

The vicar of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, has declared that “World War III” has begun due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and that “there are no metaphysical good guys and bad guys” participating in this calamity.

On Tuesday, the Catholic outlet America Magazine flagged that the pope made his comments to the Italian Jesuit publication, “La Civiltà Cattolica,” as well as a secular newspaper, “La Stampa.” The interview was released on June 14.

“The world is at war,” Pope Francis claimed. “For me, today, World War III has been declared. This is something that should give us pause for thought. What is happening to humanity that we have had three world wars in a century?”

The pope also suggested that the situation is not as simple as the media presents it.

“I am simply against reducing complexity to the distinction between good guys and bad guys without reasoning about roots and interests, which are complex,” Pope Francis said. “While we see the ferocity, the cruelty of Russian troops, we must not forget real problems if we want them to be solved.”

When asked, “What are your suggestions for communicating the situation in which we are living? How can we contribute to a peaceful future?”

“To answer this question, we have to move away from the normal pattern of ‘Little Red Riding Hood’: Little Red Riding Hood was good and the wolf was the bad guy,” the pope responded. “Here there are no metaphysical good guys and bad guys, in an abstract sense. Something global is emerging, with elements that are very much intertwined.”

The pope also explained why he believed that Russia was possibly “provoked” into war.

“… a couple of months before the war started, I met a head of state, a wise man, who speaks very little, very wise indeed,” the pope told the European outlets, “After we talked about the things he wanted to talk about, he told me that he was very concerned about the way NATO was moving.”

“I asked him why, and he said, ‘They are barking at the gates of Russia. They do not understand that the Russians are imperialists and will allow no foreign power to approach them,’” the pope continued. “He concluded, ‘The situation could lead to war.’ This was his opinion. On Feb. 24, the war began. That head of state was able to read the signs of what was taking place.”

The pope has consistently prayed for an end to the war since it began and has pled for peace.

In March, shortly after the war began, The Daily Wire reported that Pope Francis consecrated Russia and Ukraine to “the Immaculate Heart of Mary,” asking for her intercession to end the conflict.

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