By telling Ukraine to embrace the 'white flag' of negotiations.
Let's face it. Christians have been charging forth with white flags waving for generations. Since WW2, Westerners and Americans have joined the call to charge forth and surrender. That's how we're at the place we are today.
And it isn't in one area alone. The world has been having its way with the Church, and by extension the civilization it helped build, for more years than I can remember. If what Pope Francis said seems bothersome, I'd suggest we take a long, hard, honest look at the last century or so and ask why.
I’ll admit I actually don’t know what to make of Ukraine. But I do know that this Pope is NOT using, or encouraging Catholics to use, the weapons we actually have. Can you imagine if he kept harping on people praying the rosary for peace in the world? Or propose days of fasting for such a thing? How much better would things be if the spiritual head of the world called his warriors to battle in the right realm first? But, alas, all we get is worldly schlock. *Le sigh*
ReplyDeleteIt's a complex situation. Putin being unable to be reasoned with does not mean that the situation behind it is simple. But Putin has made it clear he won't stop until he gets what he wants. Suggesting Ukraine charge forth with white flags is as logical as the modern Church continuing to think if we just listen to the World, we're sure it only has our best interests in mind. For the longest time the Church seemed honest about the state of the world and how we should balance the ideal 'love your enemy' with the responsibility to protect the innocent. Such thinking now appears to be a thing of the past, like so many customs and beliefs Christianity was once associated with.
DeleteI mean if there's one thing that's been made clear since WW2 - and during WW2 now - is that anything Christians do is wrong. Internet ethicists all over have made pretty clear the only moral option open to Christians any more is surrender. As ever it seems the Pope is just embracing the zeitgeist.
ReplyDeleteOh sure. To put it in sports terms, OSU decided from now on Michigan tells us how to play football since we can't trust our own guys. Perhaps our guys have some problems, but is letting Michigan tell us how to play the best idea? That's certainly been Christianity's approach, despite the fact that a growing portion of the modem era is making it clear it wants nothing less than the elimination of our faith. As I've said, Chamberlain should be a cautionary tale, not an inspiration.
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ReplyDeleteThe kindest interpretation is that Francis intends the alternate use of a white "flag of truce" or call to parley. But Putin wants to destroy Ukraine and its nationhood and have the current leadership assassinated. How do you parley with that?
That's what I assumed, but it is still more or less surrendering, since no such suggestion was given to Putin. It's clearly 'you don't have a chance, so throw yourself at the mercy', a sort of surrender. Which, I contend, has been a Christian characteristic for far too many generations.
DeleteYou can't. Just as Israel can't parley with Hamas who wants to eliminate Israel from the face of the earth.
ReplyDeleteThat's the problem. It puts it on Ukraine to more or less give up and hope for the best against an adversary that is no more reasonable than Hitler in the 1930s.
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