During a meeting with a delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, Francis called for “weeping, for helping others and for experiencing conversion ourselves” at a time when “our world is disrupted by a cruel and senseless war of aggression.” Christian unity is an “essential condition” for peace.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – Pope Francis met in audience with a delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, currently in Rome to celebrate the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, an occurrence that has now become an established tradition.
In his address, the pontiff said that conquests and nationalism have nothing to do with the kingdom Jesus proclaimed, a clear hint to the position taken by the Russian Orthodox Church vis-à-vis the war in Ukraine
Quoting the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras, a pioneer together with Paul VI in the ecumenical journey, Francis referred to the two branches of Christianity as “Sister Churches, Brother Peoples”.
“Reconciliation among separated Christians, as a means of contributing to peace between peoples in conflict, is a most timely consideration these days, as our world is disrupted by a cruel and senseless war of aggression in which many, many Christians are fighting one another.”
In light of this, pontiff called for “weeping, for helping others and for experiencing conversion ourselves. [. . .] We need to weep for the victims and the overwhelming bloodshed, the deaths of so many innocent people”.
We must help those who fled their homes and country, like “Jesus, present in the displaced, the poor and the wounded. [. . .] But we also need to experience conversion, and to recognize that armed conquest, expansionism and imperialism have nothing to do with the Kingdom that Jesus proclaimed.”
Such actions have “Nothing to do with the risen Lord, who in Gethsemane told his disciples to reject violence, to put the sword back in its place, since those who live by the sword will die by the sword (Mt 26:52), and who, cutting short every objection, simply said: ‘Enough!’ (cf. Lk 22:51).”
For Francis, “Seeking Christian unity is not merely a question internal to the Churches”, but also the path towards peace. Hence, he asks: “What kind of world do we want to [see] emerge in the wake of this terrible outbreak of hostilities and conflict? And what contribution are we prepared to make even now towards a more fraternal humanity?”
“As believers, we must necessarily find the answers to these questions in the Gospel [. . .] Let us help one another, dear brothers, not to yield to the temptation to muffle the explosive newness of the Gospel with the seductions of this world. And not to turn the Father of all [. . .] into the god of our own ideas and our own nations. Christ is our peace.”
Henceforth, “Let us start anew from him, and recognize that it is no longer the time to order our ecclesial agendas in accordance with the world’s standards of power and expediency, but in accordance with the Gospel’s bold prophetic message of peace. With humility and much prayer, but also with courage and parrhesia.”