Catholics and the Ukraine

I'm old enough to remember a few wars that I do not think the US should have been involved in. Nation-building as foreign policy has not be successful for us or for others. As a person of Arab descent (my father was Egyptian, a Moslem -- as we wrote it back then), I also remember a Middle East that, precarious as it was, was not as divided and devastated as it is now.

So I welcome Fr. Jerry Pokorsky's careful analysis of the situation in the Ukraine: Propaganda and the Ukraine War. I admit that one of the red flags for me early on, warning me that we were in propaganda territory, was... flags -- Ukraine flags popping up immediately in people's avatars, on the heels of Covid propaganda emoji, as if people couldn't wait to jump on the bandwagon offered by a state-media conglomerate that had certainly not been transparent until that point. 

Catholics hear a lot from our leaders on the subject of this conflict, just as we heard a lot about viruses and lockdowns. But most of it is unwarranted retailing of talking points from parts unknown and unexamined. We can't trust sources that so blatantly demonstrated their inability to separate fact from propaganda in the previous two years, not to mention decades. 

And that readiness of churchmen to pass along untrustworthy information is an issue that relates to the delicate nature of obedience and authority, something that is so precious in our Church that it must never be abused. Yet it has been. One important point that Fr. Pokorsky touches upon is that sometimes we just don't know what is going on or what our response should be, and we shouldn't act as if we do.

It's good to see a priest offering correction to his confreres.

The meaning of propaganda has evolved from simple advertising to promoting biased and misleading information. The art of gleaning facts from various propaganda outlets has become increasingly difficult. Indeed, the mainstream media have mostly become organs of institutional (primarily liberal) propaganda.

Catholic priests, especially in their official capacities, must not distort the Gospel message by repeating propaganda and stay in their lane when enunciating Christian principles. But as Americans, the clergy also have a right to political views, provided they make clear distinctions separating their religious office from their secular opinions. This article is written by an American (call me “Jerry”) and concludes with a brief priestly exhortation (call me “Father”).

After a detailed and helpful characterization of the various points of view about the conflict (which should also be informed by something my husband wrote regarding the religious background, here -- part one is embedded), Fr. Pokorsky criticizes another priest for his undue pressure on conscience:

Exercising priestly authority, the clerics must dutifully decry the carnage and encourage a just solution. The laity has the responsibility to address the mess. As Americans – distinctly and consciously apart from their official religious duties – priests have a right to express political views, careful to avoid violating the consciences of those with opposing views.

The Dominican chaplain of the Knights of Columbus recently wrote that the Knights of Columbus Ukraine Solidarity Fund financially supports Ukraine war refugees. As long as the funds do not line the pockets of Ukraine politicians and oligarchs, the fund sounds like a noble enterprise.

However, the priest violated the boundaries separating the religious from the secular spheres when he writes — as the appointed chaplain of the Knight of Columbus: “In the face of the ongoing tragedy of war, injustice and humanitarian disaster inflicted by Russia on Ukraine, no one can remain indifferent. As the world continues to witness the steadfast struggle for freedom that the people of Ukraine endure….” 

Read it all.