Every day, Aleteia offers a selection of articles written by the international press about the Church and the major issues that concern Catholics around the world. The opinions and views expressed in these articles are not those of the editors.
Tuesday 10 May 2022
1. To stop Russian manipulation, Francis must make Vatican’s stand on Ukraine clear
2. Portugal moves closer to legalizing euthanasia
3. Chilean government contemplating investigation into clerical abuse
4. Vatican progress in financial security recognized by Europe
5. Young people with no religion outnumber Catholics and Evangelicals in major Brazilian cities
~
To stop Russian manipulation, Francis must make Vatican’s stand on Ukraine clear
Two months after the invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Orthodox Church has not missed a single opportunity to affirm that the Vatican stands with it in the conflict, argue four Catholic academics in an opinion article in NCR. Pope Francis’ repeated calls for peace have so far been interpreted by the Moscow Patriarchate as support for the Russian justification for the war, according to which peace in the Donbass was threatened by Ukrainian extremists and had to be restored by a Russian military operation. Several events in recent months have been used by the Russian Orthodox Church to assert that the Holy See was on the side of the “invaders.” Among them, the visit of the papal nuncio to Russia and the videoconference meeting between Francis and Kirill. It is true that some of Pope Francis’ words are confusing, especially in his interview with Corriere della Sera where he wondered if “NATO barking at the gates of Russia” had not pushed Putin to declare war on Ukraine. In addition to stating that “in Ukraine, the conflict was created by others.” These four academics who co-authored the article argue that pledging for peace is not enough, saying Pope Francis needs to make clear where he stands in the war in order to avoid playing into the hands of those who support it.
And today we celebrate...
