Pope Francis preaching during a Mass in Kazakhstan has urged world and religious leaders not to justify the evil of war.
It was a veiled reference to the Russian Orthodox hierarchy who had endorsed the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“If the creator, to whom we have devoted our lives, is the author of human life, how can we who call ourselves believers consent to the destruction of that life?” he asked.
“Mindful of the wrongs and errors of the past, let us unite our efforts to ensure that the Almighty will never again be held hostage to the human thirst for power.”
Francis then laid down a challenge to all those in the room to commit themselves to resolving disputes through dialogue and negotiation, not with arms.
“May we never justify violence. May we never allow the sacred to be exploited by the profane. The sacred must never be a prop for power, nor power a prop for the sacred!”
He made the appeal more explicit in an afternoon outdoor Mass for Kazakhstan’s tiny Catholic community, in which he asked for prayers for “beloved Ukraine.”
“How many deaths will it still take before conflict yields to dialogue for the good of people, nations and all humanity?” he asked. “The one solution is peace and the only way to arrive at peace is through dialogue.”
