The Stance of Pope Francis in the Context of Russian Aggression Against Ukraine

The author of the essay highlights the historical determinants of the Vatican's reaction to the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the weight of the subjective factor of Pope Francis in shaping the position of the Holy See on this issue. The position of “impartiality” or “positive neutrality” of the Vatican during armed conflicts between states dates back to the pontificate of Benedict XV and the First World War; the same methodology of interaction with the parties to the conflicts was followed by his predecessors. After the Second World War, the Catholic Church accounted for the emergence of weapons of mass destruction and took an even more radical position: it gradually limited the scope of the notion of “just war,” instead emphasizing the condemnation of war as a phenomenon. However, realizing the inevitability of military conflicts, the Catechism of the Catholic Church speaks of the right to “legitimate defense” in case of aggression. The position of Pope Francis is thus entirely consistent with the Catholic approach to wars, which his predecessors formed. However, the subjective factor of Pope Francis and his Latin American origin is also important. Namely, his attention to the “small man” who suffers because of the struggle of the “global powers” is manifested in his spontaneous statements in which Ukraine appears not so much as a victim of Russian aggression, but instead as a victim of a geopolitical struggle between superpowers. The “Eastern policy” of Pope Francis is somewhat different from the approaches of his predecessors. For Pope Francis, a particular regime's policy on human rights, freedom of conscience, and religion does not play a primary role when it comes to the need to provide pastoral care for the faithful.