Vatican's doctrinal chief accuses EU of selective sanctions

Flags of the Vatican and the EU. Photo: Shutterstock

Vatican Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, has accused the European Union of selectively applying international law and imposing sanctions for political convenience, as reported by Politico.

At a closed conference of cardinals in Rome, the doctrianl chief said Brussels punishes some states for military invasions while ignoring aggression by its own allies.

“The European Union, in fact, imposes economic sanctions on one country, and sends financial aid and weapons to another; yet fails to do the same in the face of other, even more serious invasions with even more brutal consequences for entire populations,” Fernández stressed.

According to the prefect, modern governments adjust moral and legal principles to political convenience instead of following universal standards. He noted that when a country is an enemy, it is condemned as undemocratic, but when it is an ally, the fact that it lacks freedom of speech and violates human rights is simply ignored.

"There is no longer a real and stable framework of truth and values," the cardinal stated.

The meeting paid particular attention to revising the traditional doctrine of “just war.” The Vatican representative believes that the concept is often used to legitimize profoundly unjust conflicts. Fernández called for the right to self-defense to be interpreted in the strictest possible sense, rejecting the logic of preventive wars used by governments to justify interventions from Ukraine to the Middle East.

As the UOJ reported, Vance advised the Pope not to interfere in politics.

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