Isn’t religion suffering from people leaving and no new blood entering for growth? Maybe the Catholic Church can wave the white flag?
Latin America and Sub Sahara Africa and Southeast Asia have seen big upticks in Catholic conversion and Catholic family growth, while in the US and Europe they’ve been flat or shrinking.
I’m sure it isn’t a coincidence that these countries are opposed to the conflict, as continued war in the Ukraine has denied them access to the agricultural production of the region (during a climate-change induced famine, no less). The war itself isn’t exactly doing favors to climate metrics, either.
Add in that the primary advocates of the war (the US, the UK, and Germany) have an absolute shit reputation in these regions (West Germany famously continued to send arms to Apartheid South Africa well into the 1980s, the US has completely fucked its relationship with Pakistan in the latest rigged election against a wildly popular prime minister Imran Khan, the UK keeps trying to send all its Ukraine refugees to Rwanda), they aren’t overly sympathetic to the Western-backed side in the conflict.
So now enter the Pope, a guy who is forever “anti-war” in the most basic sense of the word and will advocate for a ceasefire in virtually every conflict. Image how much of his constituency is howling at the absolute waste and destruction, partially at their expense, that’s driving up food and energy prices globally when they can least afford it.
Is it any surprise he just wants this shit to end already?
Russia waving the white flag would end the war equally as fast
Would it? I’ve heard more than a few bellicose westerners insist the war can’t end until Ukrainians are in Moscow.
I don’t like it, but this might be the most actual Christian approach. Jesus preached a lot of pacifism…
But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.
Jesus the pacifist everybody:
Hosea 13:16 - Samaria shall become desolate; for she hath rebelled against her God: they shall fall by the sword: their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up.
Deuteronomy 2:34 - And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones, of every city, we left none to remain:
Deuteronomy 20:16-17 - But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth
Isaiah 14:21 - Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities.
