I see Pope Francis taking a bit of heat for referring to Darya Dugina, a Russian nationalist and vocal supporter of war, as an innocent.
What is the distinction between a soldier who pulls a trigger, and a citizen who supports the acts of killing, plunder, and destruction? Perhaps there is less of a gap in the modern era of social media, propaganda, and profiteering.
The news piece recalls that Pope Francis has mentioned children, the closest ones to innocence in Ukraine and Russia. It would seem more Ukrainian children are being killed than Russian children given the difference in targeting by the two armies involved. Children in both nations are losing parents, mostly military families in Russia.
The longer the war continues, of course, the more innocence will drain from combatants and civilians alike, no matter what their direct involvement in violence. It’s just an inevitable thing. It doesn’t mean people are less in need of prayer.
It’s also why peacemaking is so crucial. It’s not about a person not killing the offender. It’s about the grave risk to the person’s own soul.
Catholic Sensibility 