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24436 |
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Date: August 29, 2023 at 09:23:15
From: ryan, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Why is Pope Francis praising Russia as ‘great’? |
URL: https://thehill.com/opinion/international/4175356-why-is-pope-francis-praising-russia-as-great/ |
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opinion piece...
Why is Pope Francis praising Russia as ‘great’?
by Alexander J. Motyl, opinion contributor - 08/29/23 11:00 AM ET
Is the pope a Russian imperialist?
The answer, alas, may be yes, at least if Pope Francis’s closing words at the August 25th All-Russian Meeting of Catholic Youth in St. Petersburg are any indication of his views.
Speaking via video, Francis said the following to the young Russians assembled in the Basilica of St. Catherine of Alexandria:
“Never forget the legacy. You are the heirs of great Russia: the great Russia of saints and rulers, the great Russia of Peter I and Catherine II, that great and enlightened empire of great culture and great humanity. Never give up this legacy, you are the heirs of the great Mother Russia, go forward with it. And thank you. Thank you for your way of being, for your way of being Russians.”
The Pope used the adjective “great” six times in reference to the country and the culture — which is not unusual — and to the empire and its rulers and their humanity — which is odd, to say the least, especially coming from a man of peace.
Surely Francis knows better than to describe the Russian empire, which was the product of centuries of bloody imperialism, as great. Surely he knows that Peter and Catherine, though termed “great” by their admirers, were bloodthirsty tyrants who crushed all opposition.
And surely Francis must cringe appending the words “great humanity” to the Russian empire and its rulers.
Can he truly be serious in advising young Russians to hang on to a legacy of death and destruction? Can he, while “great Mother Russia” is waging a genocidal war in Ukraine, truly admire Russians for their “way of being Russian”? Shouldn’t he be preaching peace, love and humility — characteristics in decidedly short supply in Putin’s Russia and completely absent on the frontlines in Ukraine?
The mind boggles. Is Francis taking history lessons from Russian dictator Vladimir Putin or from Putin’s good friend, the warmongering Orthodox Patriarch Kirill?
Worse, such sentiments aren’t a one-off for the pope. As the Canadian commentator Diane Francis points out:
“Pope Francis … has never directly condemned Vladimir Putin or Russia by name in the 18 months since their horrific war began against the Ukrainian people. Worse, the Pope’s first quoted reaction echoed Kremlin talking points when he suggested that the war was a consequence of ‘NATO barging at Russia’s gate’ and the ‘international arms industry.’ This Pope’s failure to publicly condemn Putin and Russia, and his moral equivocation when pressed, is unforgivable and reminiscent of the papacy’s tacit acceptance of Hitler and his Second World War.”
The pope’s silence in the presence of manifest evil is bad enough. Far worse — far, far worse, almost unforgivably so — is his open endorsement of Russian imperialism.
There are, after all, sins of omission and sins of commission. Francis has persistently failed to condemn the war and its instigator, Putin’s Russia, thereby effectively suggesting that both perpetrator and victim are equally responsible. This latest statement leaves nothing to the imagination and warrants no doubts. It is an open endorsement of the imperial Russian state and its leaders. It is an open endorsement of their crimes against humanity, whether committed in the 18th century or today.
There is, unfortunately, no alternative explanation for the pope’s statement. Patriarch Kirill and he are on the best of terms. And as Diane Francis persuasively shows, he’s also consistently treated Putin with kid gloves. In other words, there’s no plausible political reason for such Putinist views. The pope need not curry favor with them, since he’s done that already. Nor is it plausible to believe that the pope felt that Russian youth needs a hyper-patriotic shot in the arm: after all, that’s all they’ve been getting from the regime for years.
The pope’s endorsement of Russian imperialism — and his use of the word “great” so many times in so few sentences — suggests that he genuinely believes that it is a great and good thing. This is both tragic and sad. A Latin American Jesuit should know evil when he sees it.
Evidently, Pope Francis has forgotten the commandment “You shall not murder.” Such a pope is no pope. Francis should beg the world’s — as well as Ukraine’s — forgiveness.
Alexander J. Motyl is a professor of political science at Rutgers University-Newark. A specialist on Ukraine, Russia and the USSR, and on nationalism, revolutions, empires and theory, he is the author of 10 books of nonfiction, as well as “Imperial Ends: The Decay, Collapse, and Revival of Empires” and “Why Empires Reemerge: Imperial Collapse and Imperial Revival in Comparative Perspective.”
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Responses:
[24438] [24440] [24441] [24446] [24459] [24465] [24445] [24447] [24449] [24466] |
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24438 |
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Date: August 29, 2023 at 16:56:16
From: Nevada, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Why is Pope Francis praising Russia as ‘great’? |
URL: Pope Francis' peace envoy to visit Moscow this week |
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My guess is that the Pope and the Catholic Church are
trying to forge a Christ based solution that benefits
both sides in the Ukraine/Russia/collective west
conflict. That's what the Pope and many Christian
Churches try to do these days.
Alexander J. Motyl on the other hand has a rather long
record of defending Ukraine over Russia for quite some
time now, regardless of facts and information other
scholars and historians may have to say on the subject.
The Hill rightly notes this was an "opinion piece".
The Pope as it pertains to the teachings of the Christ,
probably have "world peace" in mind rather than
dissension and global power struggles.
...Pope Francis' peace envoy to visit Moscow this week
By Philip Pullella
June 27, 20234:32 AM PDTUpdated 2 months ago
[1/4]Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, President of Italian
Episcopal Conference (CEI), holds a press conference at
the end of the CEI General assembly, at the Vatican,
May 25, 2023. REUTERS/Remo Casilli/File Photo Acquire
Licensing Rights
VATICAN CITY, June 27 (Reuters) - An Italian Cardinal
tasked by Pope Francis with trying to help end the war
in Ukraine will visit Moscow this week as a follow up
to his trip to Kyiv, the Vatican said on Tuesday.
Cardinal Matteo Zuppi Cardinal will be in the Russian
capital on Wednesday and Thursday, a statement said.
"The main purpose of the initiative is to encourage
humanitarian gestures, which can contribute to
facilitating a solution to the current tragic situation
and find ways to achieve a just peace," the statement
said.
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It was not clear who Zuppi would meet in Moscow. He met
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and religious
leaders in Kyiv on June 6.
If Zuppi, 67, meets Russian President Vladimir Putin,
he would be one of the first foreigners to do so since
an aborted mutiny against the Russian military over the
weekend.
A Vatican source said Zuppi's trip had been at risk of
being called off because of the attempted mutiny and
the confusion surrounding it.
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Zuppi told reporters last week that he would consult
with the pope before leaving for Moscow. Speaking of
his dual visits to the two capitals, he said it was "a
pattern that needs to be woven for the resolution of
the conflict".
Zuppi was expected to meet with Patriarch Kirill, the
head of the Russian Orthodox Church, according to the
French Catholic newspaper La Croix.
Kirill is a close ally of Putin and fully backs the
Russian invasion of Ukraine as a bulwark against a West
he describes as decadent. His full-throated support for
the war has fractured the world's Orthodox Christian
communities.
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The Vatican statement's mention of "humanitarian
gestures" appeared to be a reference to Kyiv's request
- and the Vatican's willingness - to help with the
repatriation of Ukrainian children.
Kyiv estimates nearly 19,500 children have been taken
to Russia or Russian-occupied Crimea since February
2022, in what it condemns as illegal deportations.
Zelenskiy has asked the Vatican to back his
unconditional peace plan, which calls for restoring
Ukraine's territorial integrity, the withdrawal of
Russian troops and cessation of hostilities, and the
restoration of Ukraine's state borders.
Additiona reporting by Alvise Armellini; Editing by
Alison Williams and Conor Humphries
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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[24440] [24441] [24446] [24459] [24465] [24445] [24447] [24449] [24466] |
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24440 |
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Date: August 29, 2023 at 20:58:05
From: joe, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Francis will stop over in Moscow |
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on August 31 and September 4 due to fuel stops for his
trip to Mongolia. He might try to talk with the Orthodox
Patriarch at the airport. Some seers have predicted dire
consequences might start happening after this trip.
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[24441] [24446] [24459] [24465] [24445] [24447] [24449] [24466] |
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24441 |
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Date: August 29, 2023 at 21:18:37
From: Nevada, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Francis will stop over in Moscow |
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Seems like we're well into the "dire consequences" zone
Joe.
When I was much younger, this is the point when John F
Kennedy would be on the hotline to reduce the insanity
factor.
I hope Francis is successful in doing that which
normally |our" leadership would be responsible for.
I wish Francis God speed. I wish even more I had a
solution for this moment in our evolution.
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Responses:
[24446] [24459] [24465] [24445] [24447] [24449] [24466] |
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24446 |
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Date: August 30, 2023 at 11:08:42
From: chatillon, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Francis will stop over in Moscow |
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Responses:
[24459] [24465] |
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24459 |
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Date: August 31, 2023 at 22:57:17
From: Kat, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Francis will stop over in Moscow |
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Responses:
[24465] |
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24465 |
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Date: September 03, 2023 at 14:14:10
From: Kat, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Francis will stop over in Moscow |
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I’ve heard from many of my traveler friends that France it’s the place to
be any longer. Sec had info. BUT they have so many different languages
one has to speak it’s near impossible. Italy, one the other hand LOVES
AMERICANS! Sec hand info I do trust this person. She has gone just
about every year for a long while. Language is NOT a problem!
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Responses:
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24445 |
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Date: August 30, 2023 at 10:31:00
From: joe, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Francis will stop over in Moscow |
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you and me both. btw welcome back to the herd.
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Responses:
[24447] [24449] [24466] |
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24447 |
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Date: August 30, 2023 at 14:21:47
From: Nevada, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Francis will stop over in Moscow |
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Thanks for the warm "welcome" Joe. Somehow a "window"
opened just a crack and Bopp and I were able to come to
a compromise that allows me to communicate here through
a religiously formatted channel.
At the beginning and end of each day, that approach
floats my boat just fine. Where else could I post daily
about things of concern to the "big guy" as it pertains
to our journeys on the earth plane?
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Responses:
[24449] [24466] |
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24449 |
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Date: August 30, 2023 at 15:14:57
From: joe, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Francis will stop over in Moscow |
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Well I am glad you two reached a "modus vivendi". It
sounds like it was meant to be.
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Responses:
[24466] |
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24466 |
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Date: September 03, 2023 at 14:22:44
From: Kat, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Francis will stop over in Moscow |
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Whatever it’s called I’m very happy to lee’s posts AGAIN.
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Responses:
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Charles : Bible : Religion ] [ Main Menu ] |