On Good Friday, Pope Francis planned on having a Russian and a Ukrainian nurse, women who had become friends while in Rome, give a reflection that they wrote together at the 13th Station of the Cross. It was meant to be a contemplation which bemoaned the ravages of war: “Lord where are you? Speak to us amid the silence of death and division, and teach us to be peacemakers, brothers and sisters, and to rebuild what bombs tried to destroy.”[1] Some criticized and complained about this plan; they thought it was inappropriate, that it could somehow be used to exonerate Putin’s aggression against Ukraine (which, of course, it did not do, as the words could be seen as a lamentation for Putin’s war). As a result, the original meditation was left out although the nurses still came forward, holding a cross together, as someone else read about the need to be silent as we encounter the mystery of death.
It is sad that that Russians, such as Albina, the Russian nurse who was intended to speak with her Ukrainian friend, Irina, are being silenced when it is their voices which are needed today. We must not be angry at her because she is Russian; she does not support Putin’s war efforts. Indeed, it is clear, she stood against it, and her words were meant to serve as a voice of resistance against Putin’s actions. She, and with it, the Pope, were misunderstood. Some have been led to look at each and every Russian with suspicion, fearing that all Russians in the world speak only to serve Putin’s agenda. This line of thinking hurts Ukraine, as it silences those who could be and should be their allies; it ignores that any long-lasting resolution to the conflict must include the Russian people. Russians must be encouraged to take a stand against Putin, and indeed, to cast off his yoke. If the voices of Russian allies are silenced, indeed, if Russians around the world, Russians who do not support but indeed, reject Putin and his evil actions, are silenced, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to get those living in Russia to see through Putin’s lies. Putin will use such mistreatment of Russians as proof that the war is one of Russia taking on the rest of the world. That is, it will only help promote Putin’s nationalistic ideology. This should be obvious, but sadly, the anger and resentment many have has led them to ignore reason, and in doing so, to begin to act like the enemy they are fighting. When this happens, everyone loses. We must keep the message simple, and promote all those who are willing to speak up, including, and especially, Russians when they are making a stand against Putin and his regime. The war is evil. There was no just cause for Putin’s actions. It is a manufactured war, and Putin continues to defend it with lie after lie, but that lie can be given the illusion of truth if we are not careful.
Knowing, therefore, that Russia is at fault, we must make sure we recognize who is behind the war effort, and make sure they take the blame. We must understand not all Russians support Putin’s war. Many are indeed speaking out against it, and in doing so, finding themselves affected by Putin’s ire. Likewise, many other Russians, no longer in Russia, are making it clear that they do not support the war, such as the cosmonauts who are on the International Space Station. These voices, of which the Russian nurse, Albina, must be included, are important because they are most likely to be listened to and accepted by Russians, they are the ones most likely to influence those living in Russia and encourage them to resist Putin and dislodge him for his seat of power. We must fight a war for the hearts of the Russian people; if that war is won, then the war in Ukraine can and will end. But to win that war, we must make sure we do not repeat the mistakes of the past, the mistakes we saw in World War I and World War II, where Western patriotism led to the unjust and abusive treatment of German and Japanese Americans. That is, we must not embrace a scapegoat mechanism which labels everyone Russian as being evil, a mechanism which seems to lie behind the voices of those who were upset with Pope Francis’s desire for Good Friday. If we follow scapegoating, we only do what Putin wants us to do, giving him all he needs to create the propaganda which he needs to continue to win the hearts of the Russian people. We will reinforce the support he receives for his evil war.
Christians should know this. We have been told to try to make peace with those who would be our enemies. “When a man’s ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him” (Prov. 16:7 RSV). “Strive for peace with all men, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14 RSV). It is not easy. But, then again, how easy was it for Christians to accept St. Longinus, St. Cornelius, or even St. Paul, into their midst, knowing their background and how they treated Jews and Christians before their conversion? This is not to say we can and must accept a peace which ignores the injustices which have been done; rather, true reconciliation will include whatever reparations are needed to undo the damage Russia has done.
After World War II, Germany and Japan were given the chance to make for restitution, so that, despite all the evil those countries had done, they were able to be made friends with those who once fought against them. And this, of course, was possible, in part, because many within Germany and Japan, as well as many Germans and Japanese who did not live in their homeland, stood against the evils which were done. Once the war was over, their voices could and would be used to make for lasting peace. Today, we must not only look to the present moment, but to what we hope things will be like in the future. We must do what we can to make for a better future. That means, must support those Russians we would like to lead Russia in the future. We must embrace, not ignore or demonize, those who stand for justice and speak out against Putin and Russia’s war crimes. This will help make sure what happened under Putin does not have to happen again, just as the way we engaged Germany and Japan after World War II made sure they did not threaten the world after the war was over. If we don’t do this, if we don’t look for peace, if we just try to scapegoat all Russians, and ignore those who stand against Putin, we risk things getting so out of hand, we might indeed make things worse, risking, indeed, the worst case scenario, nuclear annihilation. We must do all we can to make sure this does not happen.
[1] Meditation 13 of The Way of the Cross Led By Pope Francis (4-15-2022). Vatican translation.
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