Last week, Pope Francis provoked outrage by saying Ukraine ‘should raise white flag’ to end war with Russia. Among many powerful replies by political and moral leaders, the following one still stands out: ‘We, the members of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, whose faithful church members defend freedom and lives on the battle-front today, contend for human dignity and the future of the free world at the front and in the rear, categorically declare that no one will ever force our people to capitulate. Ukraine is bleeding, but it stands for the Truth, for the right to be itself. Stands bravely and irresistibly. And if it were to capitulate, then Europe, perhaps the whole world, would immediately feel it. They would feel it and shudder. Because this is a repetition of the crimes of Buchа and Irpin; this is the further destruction of cities and villages, almost certainly not only Ukrainian ones; these are children who remain children forever; these are dozens and hundreds more of tortured priests who preach God’s commandments, not the “Russian peace” which is the triumph of evil on the whole planet. We pray for peace every day. For the return of our soldiers from the front lines, hostages from captivity, refugees from foreign lands. For understanding between peoples and healing of the wounds caused by war. But surrendering to the mercy of this enemy is not about peace. It is about the victory of slavery over freedom, darkness over light, about the supremacy of the law of force over the force of law. We have experienced this bitterly and repeatedly over the past centuries.
To capitulate to the triumphant evil is tantamount to the collapse of the universal idea of justice, a betrayal of the fundamental guidelines bequeathed to us in great spiritual traditions.
Therefore, we bless and will bless our faithful combatants for the defense of our country, we will pray for Victory over the enemy and a just peace, we will extend our hand to all people of good will who support Ukraine at this crucial time. We believe and know that we will never be alone in this.
“The Lord loves justice, and he won’t ever desert his faithful people. He always protects them, but destroys the children of the wicked” (Psalms 37:28) [Ukrainian Council of Churches]
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Pope Fances’ imaginary new reading of the Bible:
