What would +Sheen say about the Russia - Ukraine war?

What Would Sheen Say About the Russia - Ukraine War?

I am increasingly asked, "What do you think +Fulton Sheen would say about the Russia - Ukraine war?"

SHEEN LOVED THE EAST

The first thing Sheen would say is how much he loves the peoples of both countries as both are at the center of brining the Christian faith to the East. This was why he became bi-ritual, being able to celebrate the Byzantine Divine Liturgy and identify with the suffering Church in the East under Communism and his prayer for Russia’s conversion. There was always a special place in Sheen’s heart for Russia and the Church in the East. He truly believed that salvation of the modern world would come from the East.

HISTORY: KIEV IS THE HEART OF CHRISTIAN RUSSIA

In his work Communism and the Conscience of the West, Sheen pointed out that Russian historians claim that Christianity was first preached to Russia by St. Andrew in the city which is called Kiev. Important questions one must research to understand the present conflict revolve around whether Ukraine was originally part of Russia or, as some argue, whether Russia was originally a part of Ukraine. Should they be one country?

UKRAINE AT WAR SINCE 2014

One must understand the civil war that has been taking place between the Ukraine and the Donbas region in the East, which is entirely pro-Russia and in 2022 voted to become a part of Russia -- something the government of Ukraine has refused to acknowledge. Many innocent eastern Ukrainian civilians have been killed since that civil war began over eight years ago as Ukrainian government officials have refused to fulfill the terms of the Minsk agreement — something hardly nobody in the West has even heard of.

NATO and RUSSIA

Another major issue to understand is the expansion of NATO (the West) into Ukraine. This is something Russia has always rejected and viewed as an existential threat to itself. It will never allow NATO military to be on its doorstep as it would be if Ukraine became a member of NATO or NATO simply put its military within Ukraine as it is already doing. This position is very similar to the Monroe Doctrine of the United States of 1823, which is summarized by saying that Monroe warned European powers to not attempt further colonization, military intervention or other interference in the Western Hemisphere. Any one of those would be viewed by the United States as a potential hostile act.

So understanding the intermingled history of Russia and Ukraine is something Sheen study carefully and would encourage all people to do the same if that want to understand why Ukrainian independence from Russia is a point of strong contention

THE TWO FACES OF COMMUNISM

Then there is understanding Communism, which has two sides to its agenda. The first is to spread an anti-God, anti-marriage, anti-family, anti-human philosophy and to do so by military force. This is how Communism conquered the East and built up the Soviet Union.

The other side of Communism is how it would take over the heart of Western civilization through ideological subversion. This was the the ultimate goal -- to have Communism welcomed by the West. Those same Marxist principles just described would, over time, be enshrined in the societal norms of the west, which would inevitably lead to its complete inner collapse. And Fulton Sheen spoke very strongly that that is precisely when Communism, like a scavenger, will sweep in and take hold of that decaying civilization.

THE GREATER THREAT IS ALWAYS IDEOLOGICAL

Sheen strongly warned the West of the importance of understanding the difference between "the war" and "the revolution." The revolution is more important because it represents the underlying philosophies that are at war. In other words, there are opposing ideologies that are battling for the souls of nations.

That being said, I believe Sheen would emphasize that more than just western military expansion into the East, is the underlying threat of the cultural ideologies of the West that are being spread around the world, are now present in the political agenda of the Ukrainian government, and which Russia categorically rejects and resists its influence.

So, the current war between Russia and Ukraine is also over the threat of western ideologies versus Russian ideology. As an astute student of history, Sheen would point out 100 years ago that he saw this conflict between East and West coming and practically was inevitable. Fulton Sheen knew that the greatest threat to the entire world was Marxist-Communism. But Sheen would remind everyone that very few seem to understand it because it is based off of a philosophy that finds its way into a civilization when there is a moral decay that inherently weakens it.

"ERRORS OF RUSSIA" = WESTERN COMMUNISM TODAY = WOKEISM

This new Western version of Communism that is anti-God, anti-marriage, anti-family, anti-gender, and anti-human is what America calls “wokeism”. And it is the downfall of any nation that does not fight strongly against and defeat it. Using the language of Our Lady of Fatima, wokeism is another way of describing “the errors of Russia.”

Sheen would be the first to point out that these “errors of Russia“ have now reached a global and dominating presence, and have now boomeranged back to Russia’s doorstep in the country of Ukraine, whose political leadership is trying to impose it upon a traditionally strong Catholic populace.

The journalist will certainly keep our eyes fixed on who they want to paint as the enemy, while the innocent civilians of the war throughout both western and eastern Ukraine are put through a meat grinder.

There is no doubt that Fulton Sheen would emphasize that now the inner moral relativism of Communism is now going to try to defeat Russia completely as it has tried to rebuild and recover its soul from its Communist days.

It is undeniable that the government of Ukraine has sold out the nations soul to this wokeism. And this is something that Russia today strongly rejects. This wokeism is at the heart of all of the West right now, who is trying to paint Russia as the great devil of the world and must be defeated at all costs. This is global suicide.

Russia will not allow a woke West to take over its soul, like the barbarous Communism of 1917. And the Russians, according to their own words, will not allow this to be present at their border by a group of nations that is determined to eliminate Russia.

That is why Fulton Sheen always reminded us in his writings of the 1930s and 40s to make sure we truly understand what revolution is underlying the current war. Because if we fail to understand that, wars will never end and the innocent will die by the millions.

On the one hand, Fulton Sheen would never support an invasion of another country. On the other hand, Fulton Sheen would certainly examine the history leading up to the conflict, because one can never understand a war without knowing the history of nations, global ideologies, the underlying dynamics of current events and, ultimately, looking at everything through a theological lens. As Sheen said, the journalist only tells us what happens, while the theologian tells us why it happens and what matters.

Sheen would be the first to stand with the vulnerable denouncing in the strongest language the killing of the innocent. And we must always think critically to sift through the lies, propaganda and deception, wielded by political parties to justify the killing of the innocent, and as a means to manipulate the minds of the masses, who they must win behind their cause.

Fulton Sheen, like St. Maximilian, Kolbe, saw Russia eventually rediscovering it’s fire for God in a way the Christian West has completely forgotten, and will lead the world in a unique way back to God. St. Maximilian, while visiting Rome in 1937, made the following prediction:

The day is not far off, nor a mere dream, when the statue of the Immaculata will be enthroned by her Knights in the very heart of Moscow.

Sheen saw this as being connected even to Our Blessed Mother‘s message at Fatima, where Sheen predicted that Russia would eventually be a nation converted back to God and lead the world into an era of peace.

When Russia does receive the gift of faith, its role will be that of an apostle to the rest of the world. It will help bring faith to the rest of the world. Why should it be the means of evangelizing nations of the world? Because Russia has fire; Russia has zeal. God could do something with the hate of a Saul, by turning it into love. He could do something with the passion of a Magdalen, by converting it to zeal; but God can do nothing with those who are neither hot nor cold. These He will vomit from His mouth.

(Fulton Sheen, “Role of Communism and Role of America”)