Leo's phone call: The Pope should not be harnessed in front of Putin's cart

The Pope has given Putin a propaganda coup that even dwarfs Johann Wadephul’s meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov. After a lung cancer diagnosis, Leo XIV is operated on, and one of his first official acts, which the Vatican communicates to the world public, is a call to the Kremlin after physiotherapy and worship. Thus, Leo XIV offered. Putin is not just a stage to pillory Ukraine. Moscow was also given the opportunity to present itself in a statement unchallenged as a Vatican partner in “promoting spiritually moral values” and protecting Christians and their holy places. The price is very high This is a very high price that the Pope was apparently willing to pay. One can only hope that he had good reasons for this and that Kiev was privy to his plan early on. It could be argued that a phone call with Putin and the acceptance of Russian propaganda are the lesser evil if it saves the lives of Ukrainians in the city of Oleshky, for which Leo XIV. campaigned on Putin's phone. Especially since the Pope is not a politician, but head of an international religious community for which different standards apply. But this account remains incomplete. The position of Ukraine and its people is greatly weakened by gifts to Putin like this one. As a result, not only in the West will those voices gain further impetus who want to trivialize Putin and stop aid to Ukraine. This is likely to weigh more heavily for Kiev in the medium term than individual humanitarian concessions made by Moscow at the request of Leo XIV. The moral authority of the Pope could also be damaged. As helpful as the mediation of the Pope and his collaborators is, it would be better if it were – as before – largely hidden. Even the head of Catholic Christendom should not be drawn before Putin’s cart.