Pope Francis (Jorge Maria Beroglio) is dead. He was 88 years old, and although it was expected that he was approaching the end of his earthly life—the information about his death on the second day of the large Night—was a surprise.
It was primarily the Pope "non-European", he came from Argentina, he was attacked from the beginning as "leftist", both in a social and doctrinal sense. On the another hand, he became a mark due to his attitude towards the war in Ukraine. Especially in Poland, besides Catholics (or pseudo-Catholics), accused him of being not proukrian enough.
His message to "Corriere della Sera" of March 3, 2022 passed into history: "Probably the barking of NATO at the door of Russia led to the Kremlin's reaction. Anger, I don't know if it was provoked, but it most likely contributed. I'm just talking about reality: in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Africa, there is 1 war after another. And behind each is global interests. Others created conflict in Ukraine." This right assessment was recognised in the War Party's circles and among its servants as "justifying Putin". This was evidently not true, the Pope – according to the tradition of the Church – was an opponent of war ( wherever it went) and always consistently advocated its fast conclusion. Raising arms spending to 2 percent of GDP was called "crazy." "The real answer is not – more weapons, further sanctions and political-military alliances, but a different way of managing the world; not by showing teeth," he said on 24 March 2022. Nevertheless, he was considered “rusophila” due to the fact that he did not hide that he liked the writing of Fyodor Dostoevsky, and about the assassination of Daria Dugina he said, “I am reasoning of this mediocre girl, blown up due to the bomb under the seat of the car. Innocents pay for war, innocents. Let's think about this reality. And let's say war is madness. And those who make money in war, in arms trafficking, are criminals. They execution humanity.” Kiev never hid that he would want Francis to stand by him unequivocally and condemn Russia. However, the Pope was not drawn, unlike the Polish Episcopal, to play false Greek Catholic hierarchy in tact. For this he explicitly condemned the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Was Francis, as Catholic traditionalists claim, a disrupter of church tradition and the foundations of faith? any gestures, e.g. towards homosexuals or the alleged LGBT community, may have indicated this. However, the hope of the “world of progress” that Francis would completely turn everything upside down – proved to be burning. For in matters of celibacy, the anticipation of consecrating women to holiness, euthanasia, abortion and conventional family, The Pope remained on the foundations of the Church for centuries. He criticised the modern concept of sex identity, adopted in many countries. He clearly declared that "every sexual act outside matrimony is simply a sin." It should be recognized that only after his death will all Catholics decently appreciate this pontificate, in how hard times for the Church.
Jan Engelgard
photo of wikipedia
The text will besides appear in the paper edition (No. 17-18, 27.04-4.05.2025)
