Pope Francis criticizes political use of religion and attacks Ukraine war

On a visit to Kazakhstan, Pope Francis made this Wednesday (14) a speech against the instrumentalization of religion for violent ends and against religious fundamentalism. The Catholic leader, who arrived the day before in the Central Asian country, was given a standing ovation by delegations from more than 50 countries.

“Let us never justify violence, nor allow the sacred to be instrumentalized by what is profane,” urged the 85-year-old pontiff. He also defended religious freedom, which he described as a “fundamental, primary and inalienable” right.

As expected, the Argentine also included, albeit subtly, the Ukrainian War in his speech. “In these days marked by the scourge of war, a push is needed, and we need it to come from us, brothers and sisters.”

To an audience that included, among others, the imam of the Al Azhar mosque, the main Sunni Islamic institution, based in Egypt, Francis said that fundamentalism erodes all creeds.

“Let us free ourselves from reductive conceptions that offend the name of God through extremism and fundamentalism, and profane it through hatred, fanaticism and terrorism.”

Created in 2003, the meeting of leaders of religions is in its seventh edition and takes place every three years. It was marked, however, by the absence of the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Cyril, an ally of Vladimir Putin and one of the voices advocating the invasion of Ukrainian territory. Attempts to meet with Francisco, so far, have been frustrated.

The Russian institution, however, sent Archbishop Antoni Volokolamsk, number two of the Orthodox Church and responsible for matters related to foreign affairs. After a conversation of about 15 minutes with the head of the Catholic Church, he told reporters that a meeting between the religious leaders was a possibility if it is “well prepared”.

Volokolamsk said he considered the meeting necessary, similar to the one held in Havana, the capital of the island of Cuba, in 2016, but he criticized the cancellation of a meeting between the leaders scheduled to take place in June in Jerusalem. At the time, Francis canceled the trip after being advised by Vatican diplomats.

“We were prepared for this meeting when it was canceled by the Holy See. This kind of attitude does not help the unity of Christians.”

The war in Eastern Europe was the trigger for public scuffles between institutions. Francis even said that Patriarch Cyril should not become a “Putin altar boy” and said he had asked him to abandon the language of politics and prioritize that of God.

This Wednesday, he again opposed the use of faith by institutional power. “The sacred must never be a support for power, nor power a support for the sacred,” Francis told more than 100 delegations.

The Catholic leader also defended the fight against inequality and injustice – a task that, he argued, is fundamental to ending “viruses even worse than the coronavirus”, such as hatred, violence and terrorism. Vocalist in speeches about the climate emergency, he said religious leaders must be on the front lines of warning about the dangers of the climate crisis.

Host of the meeting, Kazakhstan, which witnessed the effervescence of social protests earlier this year, has a majority Muslim population (70%), with a considerable portion of Orthodox Christians (26%). Catholics are about only 125,000 among the country’s 19 million inhabitants.