Why does it so often appear that the voice of the Vatican sounds louder when Muslims suffer in war than when Christians are persecuted or Jews are threatened by rising antisemitism?
While churches in Africa are burning, Christians in the Middle East are being driven out, and Jewish communities around the world are facing hatred and violence, papal responses often seem more restrained. That makes it all the more striking when Tehran of all places praises the pope for criticizing America and Israel. The problem lies not only in his words, but in the perception of a moral imbalance.
Anyone who speaks quickly about Western or Israeli military operations, yet less clearly about Islamist violence, the persecution of Christians, or hatred of Jews, risks losing credibility as a universal moral authority. That is precisely why this matters so much: for millions, the pope is not merely the head of the Church, but the highest moral authority, indeed for many a representative of God on earth. People expect from him clarity, truth, and justice according to biblical standards. But when his...
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