The cause of self-defence is “not only licit, it’s also an expression of love toward one’s homeland,” the pope explained.
Pope Francis says supplying Kiev with weapons may be a morally justified thing to do under certain conditions and it could be immoral at the same time.
The Pope stated this on Thursday while fielding questions from journalists on the morality about nations arming Ukraine.
Speaking with journalists on his plane as he returned from a three-day trip to Kazakhstan, as quoted by the Catholic News Service, the Pope explained that motivation played a key part in judging whether an action was morally acceptable or not.
Selling weapons to another nation can be “morally acceptable if done under the conditions of morality,” he said. But an arms shipment “can be immoral if done with intentions of making more war” or to profit from it in some way, he added.
The cause of self-defence is “not only licit, it’s also an expression of love toward one’s homeland,” the pope explained.
Pope Francis reflected on the Catholic concept of a “just war” and how the lines were often blurred, especially since there are currently hostilities ongoing in many places.
Russia served as a peacekeeper in the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, but at the same time has engaged in military action against Ukraine, he pointed out.
Like many other public figures, the pope condemned Russia for sending troops into Ukraine in late February, but some of his positions on the conflict angered Kiev.
Ukraine’s ambassador to the Vatican, Andrey Yurash, chastised him last month for condemning the bomb assassination of Russian journalist and political commentator, Darya Dugina.
RT reports that Russia had accused Ukraine of sending the suspected killer into Russia, which Kiev has denied.
However, the pontiff called the bombing victim a “poor girl” and lamented how the conflict was claiming lives on all sides. Kiev has implied that Dugina, the daughter of controversial Russian philosopher, Aleksandr Dugin, was killed by the Russian government in a false flag operation.