Pope Francis made references to the war in Ukraine at a religious conference Wednesday, where the Russian Orthodox patriarch was markedly absent.
The Pope was among other religious leaders from Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, and other faith groups at the Seventh Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in Kazakhstan. Notably, Patriarch Kirill was not at the meeting in protest. Francis has previously referred to the Russian Orthodox leader as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “altar boy” for his support of the war in Ukraine.
“He who permits evil and does not oppose it cannot be regarded as a true believer,” Francis said during the second day of the conference, quoting Kazakh poet Abai Qunanbaiuly. “At best, he is a half-hearted believer.”
LITHUANIA BANS RUSSIAN ORTHODOX PATRIARCH KIRILL FROM ENTERING COUNTRY
“God is peace. He guides us always in the way of peace, never that of war,” Francis said. “Let us commit ourselves, then, even more to insisting on the need for resolving conflicts not by the inconclusive means of power, with arms and threats, but by the only means blessed by heaven and worthy of man: encounter, dialogue and patient negotiations.”
Francis seemingly commented on Kirill’s absence before he addressed the conference in a tweet Tuesday, noting a need for “leaders who enable peoples to grow in mutual understanding and dialogue, thus giving birth to the determination to build a more stable and peaceful world, with an eye to future generations. This will take understanding, patience and dialogue with all.”
We need leaders who enable peoples to grow in mutual understanding and dialogue, thus giving birth to the determination to build a more stable and peaceful world, with an eye to future generations. This will take understanding, patience and dialogue with all. #ApostolicJourney
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) September 13, 2022
“Mindful of the wrongs and errors of the past, let us unite our efforts to ensure that the Almighty will never again be held hostage to the human thirst for power,” Francis said, referring to the Catholic Church’s long-standing involvement in wars in the past, namely the Crusades in the 1000s. “The sacred must never be a prop for power, nor power a prop for the sacred!”
The Pope noted the deaths reported in Ukraine during a mass of 6,000, wondering aloud how many more will occur before a dialogue begins between the two countries.
“Let us invest not in more weapons, but in education, that peace may be the fruit of persevering commitment to education, supporting the aspirations of the young to development and a serene future,” Francis tweeted later. “Let us Pray together that our world may learn how to build peace, not least by limiting the arms race and converting the enormous sums spent on war into concrete assistance to peoples.”
Metropolitan Anthony, the Russian Orthodox Church’s No. 2 in command, attended the conference in Kirill’s place. While Anthony admitted to reporters at the conference that the Pope’s “altar boy” comment was “not helpful for the unity of Christians,” he did claim the Pope told him he’d like to meet with Kirill. The last time the two met was in 2016.
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Kazakhstan was the last of the Soviet Union’s republics to declare independence in 1991 and has a Catholic population of 125,000 among its 19 million.
