Well, that escalated quickly.
While the current pope is well known for having a rather woke take on more than one major issue, it is clear that Pope Francis also sees the forest through the trees with the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, especially given the United States’s current obsession with optics.
This past March, Pope Francis made international headlines for urging Ukrainian President Zelenskyy to consider a ceasefire with Russia, given the staggering losses his troops have endured.
The losses are all the more devastating when considering that Ukraine does not appear to have a clear path to victory, especially given the West’s dwindling capacity to supply endless weaponry.
“I think that the strongest one is the one who looks at the situation, thinks about the people and has the courage of the white flag, and negotiates … The word negotiate is a courageous word. When you see that you are defeated, that things are not going well, you have to have the courage to negotiate,” Pope Francis remarked in the spring.
Alas, neither the Biden-Harris administration nor Zelenskyy apparently found a ceasefire worth pursuing.
Instead, Zelenskyy has doubled down on restricting Ukrainians, with the most recent action including the dismantling of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), which Zelenskyy claims is aligned with Russia.
“Ukrainian Orthodoxy is today taking a step towards liberation from Moscow’s devils,” Zelenskyy blared.
The UOC had formally severed all ties with Russia in 2022, but whatever actions it took clearly were inadequate for Zelenskyy’s preferences.
Though the same preferences have rubbed an otherwise liberal pope the wrong way.
According to a report from Vatican News, Pope Francis is none too happy with Zelenskyy.
“I continue to follow with sorrow the fighting in Ukraine and the Russian Federation. And in thinking about the laws recently adopted in Ukraine, I fear for the freedom of those who pray, because those who truly pray always pray for all,” the pope declared.
Indeed. After all, banning people from praying is the hallmark of a dictatorship, not a representative government.
“A person does not commit evil because of praying. If someone commits evil against his people, he will be guilty for it, but he cannot have committed evil because he prayed,” the pope continued.
Absolutely correct. It’s a great shame that the conflict has come to pervade full blown politics.
“So let those who want to pray be allowed to pray in what they consider their Church,” Pope Francis continued.
Indeed. Which eerily brings to mind COVID lockdowns, wherein many were unable to pray “in what they considered their Church.”
“Please, let no Christian Church be abolished directly or indirectly. Churches are not to be touched!” Pope Francis proclaimed.
Sage advice that Zelenskyy appears poised to disregard, as the UOC remains set for imminent dismantlement at the time of this writing.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev blasted Zelenskyy’s decision, referring to it as an effort to “outdo the atheism of the Soviet period.”
Strange days when Medvedev’s words effectively overlap with those of the pope.
“The people are asking for peace! Let us pray that the Lord will give us all peace,” Pope Francis continued.
If only the powers that be felt the same.
Author: Ofelia Thornton
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