Pope Francis said, in an interview published on Friday, that the interests of many “empires” are driving the war in Ukraine, not just Russia.
Pope Francis said the conflict was fueled by “colonial interests and not just the Russian Empire, but other empires”.
And the Pope expressed his willingness to talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin in order to call for peace.
The pope gave an interview to the Italian-language television station of Radio Television Switzerland (RSI), which is scheduled to be broadcast on Sunday. Italian newspapers, La Repubblica, La Stampa and Corriere della Sera, published excerpts from it on Friday.
Pope Francis, who is 86 years old, and March 13 marks the tenth anniversary of his election, said he would resign as he felt too tired and lost his ability to head the Catholic Church.
He said last month that the pope’s resignation should only happen in exceptional circumstances.
Former Pope Benedict XVI, who died at the age of 95 on December 31, became the first pope to resign in nearly 600 years when he stepped down in 2013.
When Pope Francis was asked what might push him to take the same decision, he replied, “Severe fatigue prevents you from seeing things clearly. The absence of serenity that robs you of the ability to assess situations.”
The Pope said he was “a little embarrassed” about using a wheelchair due to a knee injury.
And he added, “I am old and have less physical resistance, and the knee injury is embarrassing for me, even though the recovery process is going well now.”