Pope Francis PRESSURES Church Leaders To Do Something About Ukraine War
(TargetLiberty.org) – On September 13, Pope Francis traveled to Kazakhstan to head up his short trip visiting with “world religious leaders” in the name of peace. Situated next to Russia and China, the republic used to be part of the Soviet Union, and its people are largely Muslim. Still, the holy see spent some time ministering to the small population of Catholics who reside in the region, calling for them to pray for Ukraine.
On September 14, he spoke directly to the leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church, telling them it’s important never to use religion to “justify the evil of war.” The pope followed up the statement by asking “how many deaths” have to occur before there is peace in the region.
Pope Francis has told the Russian Orthodox hierarchy and other faith leaders at an interfaith congress in Kazakhstan that religion must never be used to justify the “evil” of war and that God must never “be held hostage to the human thirst for power.” https://t.co/pV4fz30eHA
— The Associated Press (@AP) September 14, 2022
Metropolitan Anthony, who handles relations between the church and the rest of the world, was present at the time. His church reportedly supports the Russian invasion of its sovereign neighbor. Patriarch Kirill, Anthony’s boss, “blessed Russian soldiers” before they headed onto the battlefield, publicly supporting the war on “spiritual and ideological grounds.”
Pope Francis encouraged religious leaders to “promote peace” by solving issues with communication, not fighting. The leader of the Catholic church said the faithful should “never justify violence.”
Do you think the pope’s words will encourage other spiritual authorities to call for peace through dialog?
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