“Wars are always unjust” defended the pope before the Russian patriarch, an ally of Putin

Pope Francis defended that “wars are always unjust” in the conversation he had with the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kiril about the invasion of Ukraine, as well as that both churches must unite to seek ways of peace.

“Wars are always unjust because those who pay for them are the people of God. Our hearts cannot help crying before children, murdered women, before all the victims of war. war is never the way”, argued Pope Francis.

The Orthodox leader had sparked controversy for justifying the invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin’s regime, specifically considering that he was fighting against the “gay lobby”.

Francisco, according to a statement from the Holy See, thanked him in the videoconference for this meeting and said that “the Church must not use the language of politics but the language of Jesus.”

“We are pastors of the same Holy People who believe in God, in the Holy Trinity, in the Holy Mother of God. That is why we must unite in the effort to help peace, to help those who suffer, to seek ways of peace to stop the fire”, he summoned.

The two leaders have underlined “the exceptional importance of the ongoing negotiation process because, according to the pontiff, the one who pays the price of the war is the people, it is the Russian soldiers and the people who are bombed and die”.

“As pastors we have a duty to be close to and help all people who suffer from war. In the past there was also talk in our Churches of holy war or just war. You can’t talk like that today. Christian awareness of the importance of peace has developedBergoglio explained.

In this sense, according to the Vatican, he agreed with the patriarch that “the churches are called to contribute to strengthening peace and justice.”

“Wars are always unjust because those who pay for them are the people of God. Our hearts cannot help crying before children, murdered women, before all the victims of war. war is never the way“, finished.

Francis and Kiril met in Havana in 2016, the first time a Russian Orthodox patriarch and a Roman pontiff met after the historic schism of 1054.

Kirill and Francis were accompanied in the conversation by Metropolitan Hilarion, head of foreign relations for the Russian church, and Swiss Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

The Russian Patriarchate has also confirmed the conversation.

Francis has been expressing great concern about the war in Ukraine and even the day after the invasion, on February 25, he appeared before the Russian embassy to the Holy See, on the Via de la Conciliación, a few meters from the Plaza de Saint Peter.

Likewise, his Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, has proposed the mediation of the Vatican to end the conflict and thus offered it to the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergej Lavrov, although he did not receive a response.

On the other hand, he has sent two cardinals to the country – his beggar, the Pole Konrad Krajewski, and the Czech Michael Czerny – to help the population.

The Argentine pontiff has opted for diplomacy in his many calls for peace, without using the word “Russia” or allude to the name of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, but qualifying this war as “slaughter” or “unacceptable armed aggression”.