Pope condemns 'arrogance of invaders' in Ukraine and Palestine

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The “arrogance” of the invaders attacking Ukraine and Palestine blocks the dialogue necessary to build peace in those countries, Pope Francis said.

Without explicitly naming Russia or Israel, the pope referred to “two failures of humanity” in achieving peace: “Ukraine and Palestine, where there is suffering, where the arrogance of the invader wins over dialogue.”

Speaking Nov. 25 at an event commemorating the 40th anniversary of the peace accords signed between Chile and Argentina and mediated by St. John Paul II, Pope Francis said the agreement remains “model for the complete, definitive and peaceful settlement of a dispute” that “deserves to be reproposed in the current world situation, in which so many conflicts persist and degenerate without an effective will to resolve them through the absolute exclusion of recourse to force or the threat of its use.”

In 1984, the Vatican brokered the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between Chile and Argentina, putting an end to years of territorial disputes and military tensions primarily over claims to the Beagle Channel.

In his address, the pope sharply criticized the willingness of countries to remain entrenched in armed conflicts despite the suffering they create, and he condemned what he called the “hypocrisy of talking about peace while playing war.”

“In some countries where there is much talk of peace, the most profitable investments are in arms manufacturing,” he said. “This hypocrisy always leads to failure, the failure of brotherhood, the failure of peace.”

Earlier in the day, the pope addressed a delegation from the Universal Peace Council — an interreligious body comprised of 15 peace organizations to promote peace and dialogue in the Holy Land — and told them that “dialogue is the only path for peace.”

Reflecting on the “devastating effects of war and hate,” namely poverty, hunger and discrimination, he acknowledged that it could seem as though “our commitment to dialogue may be in vain because it produces few concrete results.”

“In those moments, remember that anything that is worth doing is not easy,” he said. “It requires sacrifice, it requires the willingness to commit oneself every day, especially when things don’t seem to be going our way.”

Pope Francis also recalled the importance of young people, who he said can be “great artisans of peace through dialogue” and reminding people “that a better world is possible.”

“Young people can help others discover the crucial elements that pave the way for peace: forgiveness and a willingness to let go of past prejudices and wounds,” he said.