Catholic Forgiveness maybe the Best Strategic Solution to End the War

It is a well-known fact that President Putin of Russia is a member of the Russian Orthodox faithful.

Whether or not he truly believes, no matter his reasons for being a member, and despite his many shortcomings to adhere to Christian morality given his recent invasion of Ukraine, one must acknowledge that in some way, President Putin is a Christian and is influenced by such beliefs.

We can see this in some of his policies, such as in helping to protect the Christian Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh from Muslim Turkic Azerbaijani persecution to his strong family value laws and defense of the Sanctity of Marriage. Furthermore, we can see this in his rhetoric as well, like when he described the USA as no longer a Christian nation in a negative light, whereas many of our Western leaders, even the Catholic ones, allude to this as if it were a positive.

Of course, he most certainly appears to be co-opting the Russian Orthodox Church to his liking, as well as using Christian nationalism if you will for a propaganda war against the West, but nonetheless, he still is a member of this Church and is advised by its clergy.

As Catholics, we see this as a strength of President Putin, as a positive.

We look to Russia with awe because we see how Christianity was taken from these people during the evils of communism, and given back to these people under their new leadership.

For many of us, we have looked to President Putin as a defender of our Faith, even though Russia is not Catholic.

Now whether we should or should not is not the point of our forgiveness as it needs to be unconditionally from the bottom of the heart, with a penance of some sort done from President Putin himself. Frankly, I do not think we should look to him as a defender of our Faith, but that does not mean we should not praise the good works he does for Russia when he does do good works.

However, what does matter is that even for those against President Putin in the Catholic Church, we can all respect him for the expansion of Christianity under his rule in Russia. And because of this respect, we have often opened our Church to him and his Church. You can see this with many of our ecumenical engagements with the Russian Orthodox clergy, such as the official Havana Declaration in 2016.

Thus, we possess this unique ability in many of our established circles to see the human side of President Putin. And we possess the ability to forgive too. Not only this, but more importantly, we possess the unique ability to welcome President Putin, the Russian Orthodox Church, and Russia back into the Christian World!

We are taught by Jesus Christ in The Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke: 15) that not only does God love us unconditionally, but that He also wants us to live as one Church and to welcome back sinners to our Church. As stated so accurately on The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception's website: "If Jesus, the King over all creation, values the least of these, how much more so should we? We should not hold ourselves in higher regard than those whose sins we deem “worse” than ours, but love and accept them as fellow members of the church. We are to share in their joys and sorrows and live in harmony with them."

As a Church, we are stronger together. Cancelling Russia or President Putin would be the exact opposite of what our Church wishes to do. We are called to guide them to salvation, no matter their past.

While our current battle may be with President Putin's decision to invade Ukraine and bring carnage and death to the largely Christian people and sizeable Catholic population of Ukraine, in the end, our real battle is with the devil, and his ability to seep into the most powerful institutions, especially in the West, like the European Union, and the Vatican itself.

Pope Francis's and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow's joint declaration state in the Havana Declaration: "The process of European integration, which began after centuries of blood–soaked conflicts, was welcomed by many with hope, as a guarantee of peace and security. Nonetheless, we invite vigilance against an integration that is devoid of respect for religious identities. While remaining open to the contribution of other religions to our civilization, it is our conviction that Europe must remain faithful to its Christian roots. We call upon Christians of Eastern and Western Europe to unite in their shared witness to Christ and the Gospel, so that Europe may preserve its soul, shaped by two thousand years of Christian tradition."

Thus, unlike many in the West who wish to punish Russia and rid them of their identity and dignity, it is the Catholic Church and us as Christians that wish to preserve the good works of the Russian Federation and the greater integration of Christianity into their renewed God-fearing culture. We may be disappointed and extremely upset at their betrayal over these beliefs, but we nonetheless genuinely hope they will live by them in the future. Therefore, it would make the most sense for the Western Powers and Russia to use their shared Christian connections, led by the Pope in the West, to come to an agreement to end the war. Russia needs certain guarantees that only a good faith actor like the Pope can provide.