P. A. Chacko S.J.
Pope Francis‘ upcoming book, scheduled to be released on 27 October 2022, is said to raise serious concern about the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and the need for reforms in the United Nations Organization.
An excerpt was published last Sunday giving a bird’s eye view of the content of the book. The book is titled: I Ask You in the Name of God. Ten Prayers for a Future of Hope.
The Pope raises a passionate plea for the nations to set aside war and the threat of nuclear destruction. “War must end, or the world risks nuclear catastrophe,” warns the Pope. He describes the present situation as having “a third world war in piecemeal” threatening to escalate into a full scale global war.
The Pope speaks of Russia’s Ukraine invasion which revealed the horrors that result from war. According to him, “There is no occasion that war can be just. There is never a place for the barbarism of war, especially not when conflict acquires one of the most unjust faces, that of the so-called piecemeal measures.” The Church has all along refuted the idea that war can solve problems. “War is always a defeat for humanity.”
In this context the Pope calls for serious UN reforms. “UN is no longer fit for new realities.” He urges the Security Council to become “more agile and effective in solving conflicts.”
Pope Francis calls on the nations to fold up their arms trade. “Arms trade is one of the worst scandals of our era… It is unacceptable that we squander resources to provide weapons instead of addressing critical issues of health, food and climatic changes.” He condemns the spread of personal weapons leading to horrors like mass shootings. He warns that “possessing nuclear weapons is immoral.”
He has a word of warning to Patriarch Kiril, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, saying that the Patriarch cannot keep on playing the altar boy of Putin’s regime if he intends to go to heaven.
Speaking of the consequences of war, the Pope is worried about the sad fate of people leaving their countries. In this context, “another scandal is closing national borders to those who seek a better life.”
To face the challenges of the present situation, the Pope urges all to “work together to find the way for a common hope… We all can and must take part in this social process of peace-building.”