Pope Francis has written a forceful letter about the war in Ukraine to his nuncio in Moscow, and has made it public, probably hoping that Vladimir Putin will also read it. The Pontiff explicitly calls for “diplomatic efforts” to end the war and breaks a taboo, asking that the cry of “thousands of mothers, fathers and children who mourn their loved ones who have fallen in war or who are anguished” not be ignored. for those missing, taken prisoner or wounded, military or civilian.
Three weeks ago Francis sent a letter to the nuncio in kyiv, marking the thousand days since the invasion. It was a text that he claimed was “full of solidarity”, in which he joined in prayers “for the numerous victims of the conflict and the prisoners” and in which he prayed that God would help to embark on “paths of dialogue, reconciliation and harmony.” . The letter to his representative in Moscow is much harsher.
With the excuse of the approach of Christmas, the Pope addresses his “representative in the Russian Nation”, the nuncio Giovanni d’Aniello, and tells him that “the painful and prolonged duration of this war urgently challenges us to reflect together on how to alleviate the suffering of those affected and rebuild peace.
He then recalls a dialogue between two characters from ‘The Brothers Karamazov’ by Fyodor Dostoyevsky that suggests that “the suffering inflicted on the innocent is a powerful denunciation of all forms of violence.” «I become an interpreter for the tens of thousands of mothers, fathers and children who mourn their loved ones who have fallen in war or are anguished by those missing, taken prisoner or wounded, military or civilian. Their cry rises to God, invoking peace instead of war, dialogue instead of the roar of weapons, solidarity instead of the interests of one party, because you can never kill in the name of God«. “I join this cry with a heart aching for the lives cut short, the destruction and suffering, and also for the serious wound inflicted on the human family by this war,” he adds.
Mentioning God is not about circumstances. Francis once again distances himself from the repeated gestures of the Moscow Patriarchate to religiously justify aggression, including the blessing of weapons. When in May 2022 he advised Patriarch Kirill not to become “Putin’s altar boy”, he reacted by breaking relations with Rome.
Perhaps evoking the release of prisoners and the return of some children to Ukraine, in the letter the Pope notes that “I trust that humanitarian efforts aimed at the most vulnerable can open the way for new diplomatic efforts, necessary to stop the progression of the conflict.” and achieve the long-awaited peace.
Francis bids farewell to the nuncio, recording in Cyrillic the words “Acquire the spirit of peace and thousands around you will be saved”, preached by one of the most popular Russian saints, Seraphim of Sarov. “I wish to address a fraternal invitation to every person of good will to join in prayer to God, imploring the gift of peace, and in the commitment to contribute to this noble objective, for the good of all humanity,” he concludes. .
Since Russian tanks entered Ukraine, Francis has written at least one personal letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, although he has not received a response. In the Vatican they are waiting attentively for an acknowledgment of receipt of this.
The text of the letter has not been distributed through the usual communication channels of the Holy See, but has been published in full on the cover of ‘L’Osservatore Romano’, the official organ of the Vatican.
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