Media Coverage of the Peacekeeping Activities of Pope Francis' Support of Ukraine in the Russian-Ukrainian Full-Scale War

Authors

Bogdan Synchak, Ukrainian Institute of Arts and SciencesFollow
Mariia Ovchar, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Kyiv, UkraineFollow
Valentyn Shevchuk, Ukrainian Humanitarian InstituteFollow
Eleanora Tsurina, V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Kharkiv, UkraineFollow

Author ORCID Identifier

Synchak: ORCID: 0000-0002-8186-5692

Ovchar: ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3393-1966

Shevchuk: ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3434-4242

Tsurina: ORCID: 0000-0002-9773-4582

Abstract

The relevance of the study is due to the significance of the influence of Pope Francis’ peacekeeping activities as the head of the Catholic Church on global geopolitics. This influence is being actively implemented within the framework of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Thus, the study of the international diplomatic activity of the pontiff in the context of supporting Ukraine is aimed at establishing the features of the peacekeeping work of the Holy See. The study presents an analysis of news coverage on the stated issues in popular Ukrainian and foreign publications from December 2021 to October 2022. The Washington Post, Politico, Vatican News highlighted positive, dubious, and negative precedents by Pope Francis in the context of supporting Ukraine in the Russian-Ukrainian full-scale war. Also, special attention is paid to the special nature of the encyclicals of Pope Francis, in particular Evangelii gaudium 2013, Lumen Fidei 2013, Laudato si' 2015, and Fratelli Tutti 2020, where the priority thematic areas are current problems and conflicts. The results of the study indicate the inconsistency of the views, understandings, and actions of the pontiff, which is obviously due to the flexible diplomatic strategy of the Vatican. The overall picture points to the hesitation of the head of the Catholic Church during a tense situation on the European continent. Key words: Pope Francis, the Pope's peacekeeping activities, the war in Ukraine, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the Pope's support for Ukraine.

Recommended Citation

Synchak, Bogdan; Ovchar, Mariia; Shevchuk, Valentyn; and Tsurina, Eleanora (2023) "Media Coverage of the Peacekeeping Activities of Pope Francis' Support of Ukraine in the Russian-Ukrainian Full-Scale War," Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe: Vol. 43 : Iss. 1 , Article 4.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55221/2693-2148.2401
Available at: https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/ree/vol43/iss1/4