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Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz: The assessment of a Vatican spokesman on the Pope's statements has been noted

Photo: Liesa Johannssen / REUTERS

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has rejected Pope Francis' statement about raising the "white flag" in the Ukraine war.

"As you can imagine, the Chancellor does not agree with the Pope on this issue," said government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit.

"It is true that Ukraine is defending itself against an aggressor." It also receives a lot of international support in order to be able to defend itself against the war of aggression that violates international law.

Hebestreit also pointed out that a Vatican spokesman's assessment of the Pope's statements had been taken into account.

Spokesman Matteo Bruni had contradicted reports that the Pope had called on Ukraine to surrender in an interview on Swiss television.

CDU leader Merz calls Pope's statements "fundamentally wrong"

With regard to the war in Ukraine, which has now been going on for more than two years, Francis said: "When you see that you are defeated, that things are not going well, you have to have the courage to negotiate." Francis is also included in the interview asked about demands for “the courage to surrender, to raise the white flag.”

To which he replied: »It's a question of perspective.

But I think that the one who recognizes the situation, who thinks about the people, who has the courage of the white flag to negotiate is stronger.”

CDU leader Friedrich Merz also clearly rejected the Pope's call for Ukraine to negotiate peace with Russia.

Merz said on Monday in Berlin that he considered the statement by the head of the Catholic Church to be “fundamentally wrong.”

He was “surprised, to say the least.”

History has also shown that the Catholic Church is “not free from error.”

"I respect the views that are different, but I don't share them," said party leader Merz.

"On the contrary, I am of the opinion that we really have to do everything we can to help Ukraine to win this war."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had also already rejected the statement.

The church is with the people, said Zelenskyj on Sunday in his evening video address.

"And not two and a half thousand kilometers away, somewhere, to virtually mediate between someone who wants to live and someone who wants to destroy you."

muk/dpa/AFP