Pope Francis's refusal to condemn Putin spurs debate in Catholic Church (Washington Post)

“Defenders of Francis’s strategy say the pope is maintaining a neutrality that has long been at the center of Holy See diplomacy,” the Post reports. “n a more critical telling, though, Francis is misperceiving the war and squandering some of his moral authority in a conflict where religion and Christianity are adjacent to the politics and fighting.”

“Though Catholic teaching has long held that countries have the right to defend themselves under certain circumstances, the Pope’s statements have been vague enough to leave Catholics uncertain about whether he thinks Ukraine’s defense is justified,” the report continues.