Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the Vatican has maintained a delicate diplomatic balance in the hope of mediating between the parties: to continue the dialogue with the Russian Orthodox Church without appearing to betray the millions of Ukrainian Catholics.
“Willingness” to help with negotiations, unprecedented visit by the pontiff to the Russian embassy, ​​telephone conversations. The Holy See has spared no effort to reach a ceasefire since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February.
However, the Vatican’s ability to act as a mediator, with which it has achieved important results in the past, as in the case of the territorial dispute between Argentina and Chile in 1984 or the thaw between Cuba and the United States in 2014, seems to be less effective in this case. .
Although the pope has avoided publicly condemning Russia as an aggressor, “it is inevitable that he will be considered both a judge and a party,” Bernard Lecomte, an expert on Vatican and Eastern European affairs, told AFP, after recalling that there are “five six million Catholics” of the Byzantine rite in Ukraine.
Therefore, the Vatican is forced to play the difficult balancing act. While he morally condemns the war, he preserves Russia and the Orthodox Church led by Patriarch Kirill, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin.
For several years, the Holy See has committed to drawing closer to the Russian Orthodox Church, a policy that in 2016 resulted in the historic meeting between the pope and Kirill, the first since the 1054 schism between Eastern and Western Christians.
In December, Francis even spoke of the “not too distant” possibility of a new meeting with his “brother”, which now seems unfeasible.
turning point
The Vatican’s stance has already drawn criticism from some observers, who found it too tolerant. It is now even less understood, because the high Russian prelate justified the military operation, interpreting it as a confrontation against “evil forces” that “fight the historic unity” between Russia and Ukraine.
These statements forced Francis, who until then had limited himself to multiplying calls for peace, to come out of his reserve, alluding indirectly to Russia.
He criticized “the unacceptable armed attack” and the “massacre of the innocent”, mentioned the biblical character of Cain, who killed his brother Abel, and deplored the “perverse abuse of power”.
These statements “further compromise its impartiality”, says Norwegian historian Stein Tønnesson, a member of the Peace Research Institute in Oslo.
“Small Chance”
In parallel with diplomatic efforts, the Vatican is very active from a humanitarian point of view and, through its networks, helps refugees and has sent two cardinals to Ukraine and its borders.
But Francis insists on leaving one door open: that of religious dialogue. On Wednesday, during a video call between the pope and Kirill, Francis told him that the Church “must avoid political language” and called for “joint efforts to help peace.”
“This is not just a calculation. Francis feels a deep feeling in favor of interreligious dialogue.” Jorge Mario Bergoglio must “limit himself to the spiritual, play with values, with symbols, with references, but above all he must not talk about politics, that would immediately discredit him”, insists Bernard Lecomte.
The Argentine pope on Friday invited bishops from around the world to attend a March 25 ceremony for Russia and Ukraine at St. Peter’s Basilica.
“As long as we remain on a spiritual level, there will be a small possibility of dialogue. History teaches us that these channels, at a given moment, can be very valuable”, he pointed out.
