
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Pope Frances shows sympathy for Vladimir Putin’s claim that the expansion of NATO was a provocation – a justification for invading Ukraine.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Francis is proving again that he is no religious leader who bases his words and actions on solid moral ground. ; He is the same fellow who made pragmatic accommodations with the brutal Peronist regime in his native Argentina.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If he wants to be the pragmatic and worldly head-of-state, that is his prerogative. ; But spare us the mock piety and moral pretense.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Francis has condemned the war in Ukraine without taking sides – as an establishment diplomat might. ; He has said that neither side wins because there is death on both sides. ; So far, so good.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">But he then goes on to say that NATO’s expansion provoked Russian war criminal Putin.  ; The Pope goes on to say that a “wise” head-of-state told him as much before the invasion. ; This is not the first time the un-Holy Father suggested that Russia had legitimate concerns about the encroachment of NATO. ; Specifically, he was referring to the addition of such nations as Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, etc.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Francis will not name the “wise” head-of-state … of course. ; When one accommodates evil, transparency is never an option.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">There is nothing wrong or immoral for free nations to form alliances. ; Just because Putin is f-ing paranoid does not give him justification to invade and kill. ; Putin is not only a mass murderer, but he is conducting his war in an effort to create starvation. ; He is stealing Ukraine’s grain – and destroying what he is not stealing. ; He is blocking the transportation routes that would enable the grain to be sent to nations in Africa – nations that will now experience starvation.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">What Francis ignores is that NATO is purely a defensive alliance. ; It poses no threat to Mother Russia. ; In fact, it is not even engaging with Russia militarily as Putin mercilessly invades a sovereign UN member that poses no threat to Russia.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Incredibly, Francis has cautioned against viewing the war as a conflict between good and evil. ; THAT statement – in and of itself – strips the Pope of any moral authority. ; If he does not see the killing of tens of thousands of innocent men, women, and children in a vicious attack on a peaceful nation as abject evil, then the Pope is complicit in mass murder. ; It makes the dubious accusations against Pope Pious XII as a Nazi sympathizer look like a minor indiscretion.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If Francis can make excuses for the likes of Putin, maybe he can find justification for ISIS. ; Or maybe he can blame the United States for provoking the 9/11 attack.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It is hard to know if Pope Francis is a socialist or a communist based on his hard-left leanings, but we can certainly say without fear of refutation that he is NOT a religious leader with a sound moral foundation. ;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Memo to Pope Francis: ; The War on Ukraine IS a clear division between good and evil – and you are equivocating like you did in Argentina. ; You are giving aid and comfort to evil.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">So, there ‘tis.</p>

Pope Francis is no moral leader
