Questioned this Sunday on franceinfo, the journalist, writer and deputy director of the publication of “Christian witness” Christine Pedotti estimate that “Pope Francis conducted a diplomacy that does not put him at ease today”† Before some 50,000 faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square in Rome Sunday afternoon, Pope Francis prayed for peace and an end to world conflict, beginning with the war in Ukraine.
“We have seen too much blood, too much violence”, denounced the sovereign Pope during his Easter blessing “Urbi et Orbi”. Then he complained “Tortured Ukraine”† But Christine Pedotti notes that the Pope “Never say Vladimir Putin’s name”† Gold, “we must dare to say that the aggressor is Russia”†
franceinfo: Pope Francis called for an Easter ceasefire in Ukraine. He was not heard. Why is his voice not heard on the international stage today?
Christine Pedotti: It’s quite complicated. First, it should be noted that Ukraine is Orthodox Christian and Orthodoxy, which is also the majority religion in Russia, will be celebrating Easter next week. In fact, the Pope’s request for an Easter peace is a Roman peace. We have hope for next week. Who knows ? Dan also bears his voice with difficulty because he belongs precisely to Catholicism, which is not necessarily understood by Orthodoxy. And then, maybe because it’s an asymmetric war. It is a war in which Ukraine is attacked and Russia is the aggressor. And since the beginning of the war, even though he has called for peace, even when he talks about the martyred Ukraine, Pope Francis never mentions Vladimir Putin’s name. So he has something that, it seems to me, isn’t always very well posed on the part of Pope Francis.
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The Stations of the Cross on Good Friday took place against a background of controversy. At the thirteenth station, a Russian and a Ukrainian carried the crucifix together. This angered the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Did the Vatican make a mistake?
One of Francis’s problems is that he is looking for a deal. After all, it is legitimate with the Moscow Patriarchate in the person of Orthodox Patriarch Kirill whom he met in Cuba in 2016. Kirill is showing all signs of submission to Vladimir Putin at the moment. So basically Pope Francis conducted a diplomacy that doesn’t quite put him at ease today. I mean to demand peace between Russia and Ukraine.
“Peace must be claimed from Russia. Peace must be claimed from the aggressor. So we must dare to say that the aggressor is Russia.”
Christine Pedottiat franceinfo
The Pope is a head of state. He is not just a religious entity. But we can see that historically the Vatican is always a bit complicated to know how to situate yourself in this landscape. So there he came back during the “Orbi et Urbi” blessing on the issue of nuclear danger. He is clearly in a position to do that. It should be remembered, for example, that the intervention of Pope John XXIII, now 60 years ago, largely contributed to avoiding World War III at the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis. He had let the two great powers, the American and the Soviet, find the way to reason and peace.
Pope Francis planned to visit Kiev earlier this month. We have more news. But in any case, do you think it would be a strong sign for the Ukrainians?
Secure. It is true that the religious situation in Ukraine is complicated, to the credit of Pope Francis, as there are both Orthodox Christians in the obedience of Moscow, Orthodox Christians in the obedience of Constantinople and then Catholic Christians on the side of Rome. And then Protestants. All this is very complex.
