Pope Francis calls for reform at United Nations after Russia-Ukraine war
October 17, 2022, 1:00 pm

Pope Francis calls for reform at United Nations after Russia-Ukraine war

Pope Francis arrives on a wheelchair to meet with participants in the plenary assembly of the International Union of Superiors General (IUSG) at the Vatican, May 5, 2022. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

In an extract of his new book published Sunday (Oct 16), Pope Francis said the need to reform the United Nations was "more than obvious" after the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine war exposed its limits.

The Argentine pontiff said Russia's February invasion of Ukraine highlighted the need to ensure the current multilateral structure -- especially the UN Security Council -- finds "more agile and effective ways of resolving conflicts", the AFP reported, the Anews said.

He added in an extract published by La Stampa daily that "In wartime, it is essential to affirm that we need more multilateralism and a better multilateralism," but the UN is no longer fit for "new realities."

Francis said that the organisation was founded to prevent the horrors of two World Wars from happening again, but although the threat represented by those conflicts was still alive, "today's world is no longer the same."

He added that "The necessity of these reforms became more than obvious after the pandemic" when the current multilateral system "showed all its limits."

Russian invasion of Ukraine - Photo. Euromaidan Press

Francis denounced the unequal distribution of vaccines as a "glaring example" of the law of the strongest prevailing over solidarity.

The 85-year-old advocated "organic reforms" aimed at allowing international organisations to rediscover their essential purpose of "serving the human family" and said international institutions must be the result of the "widest possible consensus".

Pope Francis: Russia-Ukraine war is ‘a world war’

The pope also proposed guaranteeing food, health, economic and social rights on which international institutions would base their decisions.

Francis's new book, "I ask you in the name of God: Ten prayers for a future of hope", is due to come out in Italy Tuesday.

Source: anews

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