The Pope called the arms trade one of the causes of the conflict in Ukraine

Pope Francis called the arms trade one of the causes of the conflict in Ukraine

Weapons factories are "investments that give the greatest income," Pope Francis believes. He called them "factories of death"

Pope Francis considers the arms trade one of the causes of the conflict in Ukraine. His words are quoted by Rai News.

"The investments that give the greatest income are weapons factories, that is, factories of death," the pontiff said.

He pointed out that some countries are now refusing to supply weapons to Ukraine. "Now I see that some countries are retreating, they are not giving weapons, a process is beginning where the Ukrainian people will become a martyr," Pope Francis drew attention.

The head of the Vatican press service, Matteo Bruni, after the words of the head of the Roman Catholic Church, explained that they were part of the pontiff's reflections on the consequences of the arms trade. "The Pope thus stressed that those who sell weapons never pay for the consequences of their choice, but leave the reckoning to the martyred peoples, such as the Ukrainian."

In March, the Pope called the conflict in Ukraine a "world war." "In just over a hundred years there have been three world wars: 1914-1918, 1939-1945 and this one. <...> All the great powers are intertwined. The battlefield is Ukraine," he noted. According to him, there are "imperial interests not only of Russia, but also of other empires." "It is typical for an empire to put nations in second place," the pontiff pointed out.

He also noted that Ukraine is now "not so dreaming about negotiations," since it has strong support from the US and the EU. However, he considers the dialogue between Moscow and Kiev to be a condition for peace. "Peace will be achieved when [Russia and Ukraine] can talk to each other or through someone else," Pope Francis believes.