Ethan Hawke explains why he believes Pope Francis is the person to end the war in Ukraine
On The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Tuesday, Ethan Hawke called on Pope Francis to intervene in Russia’s war against Ukraine. In doing so, Hawke, an Episcopalian, invoked the pope’s namesake.
“I had this idea that I wanted to write the pope,” Hawke said, “and say to him that Francis of Assisi marched across the desert to the battlefield in the fifth crusade to try to have audience with the sultan. And he did this huge act of peace. And he should have been killed, but the sultan didn’t kill him.”
The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Francis plans to visit Ukraine, and possibly Russia, in the coming months, though no solid plans have yet been made. Hawke believes the pope should lead a march into Ukraine for the purpose of supporting peace.
“Pope Francis should take his namesake, and if he would do it, if he would lead a march from Belarus to Mariupol, and we would all go,” Hawke said. “And we could bring the refugees to our homes. And, like, priests and rabbis, and we could all go and say you have to stop killing children.”
Video Transcript
[WHOOSHING]
ETHAN HAWKE: I wanted to write the Pope and say to him that Francis of Assisi marched across the desert to a battlefield in the Fifth Crusade to try to have audience with the sultan. And he did this huge act of peace.
KYLIE MAR: Ethan Hawke joined "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" Tuesday, where he called on Pope Francis to lead the charge against Russian aggression in Ukraine. The Pope received criticism last month for suggesting that Russia's war in Ukraine may have been provoked.
ETHAN HAWKE: Pope Francis should take his namesake. And if he would do it, if he would lead a March from Belarus to Mariupol, or-- you know, and we would all go.
[APPLAUSE]
And we could bring the refugees to their home. And, like, priests and rabbis, and we could all go and say, you have to stop killing children.
KYLIE MAR: The call from Hawke, who is Episcopalian, comes as Russia continues its attacks on Ukrainian civilians, including children.
ETHAN HAWKE: The choice shouldn't be whether to escalate the war or for democracy to fail. I feel like the grownups of the world need to stand up and say, you're not allowed to bomb and kill children. You're not allowed to do it. You've got to behave like a grown-up.
[APPLAUSE]
And that way, we could focus our energy on taking care of the planet.
KYLIE MAR: The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Francis plans to visit Ukraine and possibly Russia, though nothing is set in stone. And Hawke explained why he believes the Pope is the right person for the job.
ETHAN HAWKE: The reason why him, I keep thinking about where the voice for nonviolence is. Where are the voices of people to ask us to join together? And I feel like he's one of the very few people I can think of that has that moral authority.
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