"As for me, World War III has already been declared"

"As for me, World War III has already been declared"

Pope Francis suggested that the Third World War was already underway, as evidenced by the "intertwined elements" at work in the Russian-Ukrainian crisis and other conflicts around the world.

"A few years ago, it occurred to me to say that we are experiencing the Third World War, which is being fought in part," the head of the Catholic Church said in an interview with the media on May 19, which was published on Tuesday.

"Today, World War III has been declared for me." Pope Francis noted that, although we are more sensitive to the fighting in Ukraine, wars are also underway in places such as northern Nigeria and Myanmar, "and that no one cares".

"The world is at war. This is something that should make us pondering", he said. "What is happening to humanity that has had three world wars in one century...? You have to think that there have been three world wars in one century, behind all the arms trade."

While acknowledging criticism for his failure to condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin and his previous comments suggesting that NATO expansion on Russia's doorstep may have caused a crisis, the pontiff denied being "pro-Putin". He said such a claim would be "simplified and wrong."

"I am simply against turning a complex situation into a difference between good and bad guys, without taking into account the roots of the problem and interests, which are very complex," he said. "While we are witnessing the ferocity and cruelty of Russian troops, we should not forget the problems and try to solve them", he added.

Asked how Jesuit editors should report on the Eastern European conflict in a way that contributes to a peaceful future, he replied: "We must move away from the usual Little Red Riding Hood thinking. Little Red Riding Hood was a good guy and the wolf was a bad guy. Here, in the abstract, there are no metaphysical good and bad guys. Something global is emerging, with elements closely intertwined".

He also warned that we should not focus only on the "brutality and ferocity" of the conflict." The danger is that we see only this, which is monstrous, and miss the whole drama behind this war, which may or may not have been provoked in some way. I also notice an interest in testing and selling weapons. It's very sad, but in the end, that's what it's about."

Francis praised "the heroism of the Ukrainian people in defending their country," but pointed to external interests that put them in danger.

He reiterated his concern, first published in an interview last month, that NATO may have encouraged Moscow's military operation in Kyiv. He recalled talks with the head of state, whom he identified only as a "wise man", several months before the fighting began.

"He told me that he was very worried about the way NATO was acting. I asked him why, and he responded: "They are barking at the gates of Russia, and they do not understand that the Russians will not allow any foreign force to approach them".

He also warned that after many Western supporters of Ukraine opened their hearts "to women and children who fled the country in the early days of the conflict, support for its refugees has already "died down".

"Who will take care of these women? We have to look beyond the concrete action at this moment and see how we will support them not to engage in human trafficking or to be exploited, because vultures are already patrolling", he added.