Cardinal Müller: Pope should show more solidarity with Ukraine

Cardinal GerhardLudwig Müller wants more support from the Vatican for Ukraine. With regard to the Pope's handling of the Russian war of aggression, Müller told the Würzburg Catholic weekly newspaper "Die Tagespost" (Thursday): "It is wrong to put the victims and the aggressor on the same diplomatic level." The Pope's diplomatic stance of being open to both sides, only lamenting the victims and not naming the perpetrators, is a problem. "We would like to see very clear statements and more solidarity from the Pope and Rome here," said the former Vatican Prefect for the Doctrine of the Faith.

He had recently been to Ukraine, he continued. "Many people said to me personally that they would expect the Pope to go to Butscha," he said. Laying down their arms is not an option for the Ukrainians. "If you surrender, you will not have peace, but a new gulag of millions with rape, abduction, murder of many people and the deprivation of freedom. Ukraine would be enslaved and the West must not be deceived: The bear would be fed for a while, but the hunger will come again."

"There, look at your pope in Rome"

The cardinal warned: "The danger is this fundamentally wrong imperialist thinking on Putin's part, to expand because one is a great power and to arrogate to oneself the right to treat the states in the run-up as vassals and not as peoples with equal rights." In this context, Müller also commented on the topic of ecumenism. The Catholics in Ukraine are now facing hostility because the Orthodox side is saying: "Look at your Pope in Rome."

Pope Francis has been calling for an end to the fighting since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He recently made headlines with his statements on a negotiated peace in Ukraine. His peace envoy, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, held talks in Moscow, Kiev, Washington and Beijing last year. (KNA)