European bishops could stop the tanks in Ukraine

This week’s Mediahuis Irish regional newspapers’ column.

Michael Commane

There are no words to describe the hell of Ukraine and yet when Russia razed Grozny to the ground or destroyed Aleppo I sort of shrugged my shoulders, realised it was awful but I easily forgot about it and got on with my normal life. Ukraine is different and I’m wondering why.

Yes, it’s closer to us in Ireland. It borders Poland and Romania. There is something about the power and might of Russia that has always been a dark foreboding force. Russia made enormous sacrifices in World War II but on the other hand the leadership had no hesitation in sacrificing millions of lives to achieve victory. 

The barbarity of the Soviet leadership shared much with their predecessors, the tsars. Saying that, am I being racist and making Russians out to be more violent than other nations?

What exactly is the stance of the Russian Orthodox Church on this war? Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill has accused the West of disregarding Russia’s security concerns.

 

Kirill argues that the genesis of this war lies in Nato’s eastward march. He accuses them of inciting hatred among the ‘brother peoples’ of Russia and Ukraine. 

He blames the Ukraine war on western ‘Russophobia’.

On March 9 in a Lenten liturgy Kirill in a sermon referred to Russians and Ukrainians as one people and accused the West of supplying arms to Ukraine in an attempt to weaken Russia.

Ties between the Orthodox Church in Ukraine and the Orthodox Church in Russia have been broken.

It would be interesting to know if there are lines of communication open between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Holy See.

 

Pope Francis sent two cardinals to Ukraine and the Vatican has offered to mediate.

Ukrainian actress and fashion model Anna Afroncik, who lives in Italy, has appealed to Pope Francis to go to Kyiv. She argues his presence in the Ukrainian capital would force Putin to stop the bombs.

What if a sizeable number of European bishops, including some from Ireland, went to Kyiv and stood in front of the Russian and Ukrainian tanks dressed in their episcopal robes, with their mitres and croziers? It would make sensational media footage and surely Vladimir Putin would not allow his tanks to keep rolling.

The bishops have asked us to pray for peace in Ukraine. A noble idea. But their presence in the midst of the hell that is Ukraine would scream out to the world that would be far mightier than their request for us to pray for the people.

Full marks to the Russian television producer Marina Ovsyannikova, who interrupted a Russian news programme by holding up a poster that read; ‘Stop the war. Don’t believe the propaganda. They’re lying to you here.’ She certainly is inspirational, a woman worth listening to.

I write this column as there are embers of hope at the peace talks. Too many lives have been lost. Too many people have suffered far too much. This war must stop now.