Pope Francis Refrains From Blaming Russia for War in Ukraine

By Francis X. Rocca, The Wall Street Journal, Feb 28, 2022 at 8:05 am ET [original article contains links]; see also

image (not from cited article), under the headline," 'First in history' – Pope Francis to meet Russian Patriarch in Cuba" [dated Feb 5, 2016]


Pope Francis on Sunday lamented the “tragic” war in Ukraine, and had strong words for those who wage war in general, but he didn't speak of an invasion or refer to Russia by name.

That makes the pope, who has made a priority of better relations with Russia, one of the few Western leaders to have refrained from explicitly condemning the attack on Ukraine.

“Those who wage war forget humanity,” the pope said from a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square, after reciting the noon Angelus prayer. “They rely on the diabolic and perverse logic of weapons which is the most distant from the will of God, and they distance themselves from the common people who want peace.”

Those words might as easily have described a civil war as one between two different countries, a formulation for which Ukrainian Christians have criticized the pope in the past. The pope has put a priority on ecumenical relations with the Russian Orthodox Church, whose hierarchy is closely allied with the Kremlin.

The Vatican didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.

The pope’s top advisor has been strengthening his language on the war. Last Thursday, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, expressed his concern about what he called “Russian military operations on Ukrainian territory.” In remarks published Monday, the cardinal also spoke of “the war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine.” He said the Vatican was “ready to facilitate negotiations” between the two countries.

Pope Francis has also been criticized for his failure to publicly call out China for its treatment of its Uyghur Muslim minority and its crackdown on pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong. In 2020, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, speaking in Rome, called on the Vatican to stand up for human rights in China, suggesting that it was inhibited from doing so by diplomatic concerns.

The Vatican signed an agreement with China in 2018 which gives both the Vatican and Beijing a say in appointing Catholic bishops in China. Critics say the deal has increased pressure on “underground” Chinese Catholics who resist government control.

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