The Vatican, Communist China, and Trump: Making A Deal With The Devil
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Conservatives worldwide are split on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. A cacophony of misinformation has created a masterpiece of chaos. As a result, the lines between conservatives and liberals have blurred.
The blurred lines
Puppet masters like billionaire George Soros, celebrities like Sean Penn, singers like Lady Gaga, politicians like Biden, and news networks like CNN all toe the Ukrainian Independence line. In fact, it seems every liberal in the Western hemisphere has sided with Ukraine, and condemned Russia’s invasion.
Meanwhile, monuments like the Eiffel Tower and the Empire State Building notorious for lighting up their facades for liberal causes are lit up in Ukraine’s Blue and Yellow. When all the liberals agree on an issue, conservatives who find themselves on the same side will question if they are on the right one.
Furthermore, there are conservatives who are siding with Russia at the onset like Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson, CPAC speaker Tulsi Gabbard, influencer Charlie Kirk, journalist Candace Owens, and those perceived as conservatives by many like Steve Bannon, and Alex Jones. Even former president Donald Trump praised Putin in the initial days of the invasion and has since backpedaled on his position on the conflict. Admittedly, it’s possible that by the time this article is published these people may have changed their opinion.
Catholic traditionalists like Michael Matt of the Remnant, though short of coming out in full support of Putin, argued why Russia needs to protect its interest by forcing Ukraine not to join NATO and the EU. Latin mass conservatives, particularly those in Europe who have long held a love affair with Putin, to the puzzlement of many of their American counterparts, defend the justness of the invasion.
On the surface, the argument is whether Putin is justified to invade Ukraine or not. However, a deeper analysis reveals that what conservatives are split on is whether Ukraine is better off with Putin or the West.
Why Some Conservatives Are Pro-Putin
The pro-Putin conservatives argue that the Russian president is the only one with the character to oppose the moral degradation of the Western world. As proof, they present his track record on the LGBT movement and his support of the Russian Orthodox Church.
They gush over his photographs in religious settings, kissing an icon of the Theotokos, or attending a divine liturgy. They praise how thousands of monasteries and parishes are being established throughout Russia. All these are presented as indicators of Russia’s conversion.
On the other hand, to many conservatives, to be pro-Putin is to oppose the moral degradation of the West, specifically, America’s fixation with wokeness, Critical Race Theory, and Gender Ideology. With this in mind, some have dubbed Putin the anti-woke leader, a title not even former president Trump can claim. Some have hailed him as a second Charlemagne, the strong man who will restore order to the West.
Why Some Conservatives Are Never-Putiners
The anti-Putin conservatives who oppose the invasion argue that Russia cannot be trusted. To some, the memory of the oppression caused by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic is still fresh. There are people still living who remember what it was like to be under Soviet rule. And, to put a fine point, there are leaders currently ruling who remember what it was like to rule with Soviet authority.
In an insightful article in 1990, Communism and Anticommunism on the Threshold of the Millennium’s Last Decade, the great anti-communist leader, Prof. Plinio Correa de Oliveira described aptly the unpleasant sensation of oppression Ukrainians fear might return if they fall under Putin’s rule regardless of his personal motivations.
“All of this activity within the European scene reflects varied circumstances and has different meanings, depending upon the place. Nevertheless, hovering above is a common meaning, encompassing and permeating the other meanings with a single impulse: Discontent.
“We use a capital “D” because this discontent is one toward which all regional and national, economic and cultural discontent converge. Having accumulated in the Soviet world for many decades, this discontent is represented in the indolent and tragic apathy of someone who disagrees with everything but is physically restrained from speaking out, moving freely, protesting, in short, from externalizing an effective disagreement.”
It is also not lost on conservatives that Russia is allied with China and willingly sells arms to our enemies like Iran, North Korea, and Venezuela. Russia’s friends are the pick of the totalitarian lot.
Moreover, the Moscow-Beijing-Tehran axis has long opposed the West’s financial and cultural influence. The book, Triple-Axis: China, Russia, Iran and Power Politics (Library of International Relations), describes how the three countries rejecting Western values.
Cold-War Dichotomy Variant 2.0
Conservatives find ourselves having to choose between Russia’s autocracy and Ukraine’s growing liberalism. Neither is acceptable. That is like giving us a choice between two tubs of dirty water.
It is a false dichotomy. If the pattern looks familiar, that’s because it is a cunning upgrade of the Cold War dichotomy; “Better Red Than Dead.” The great Brazilian Catholic leader, Prof. Plinio Correa de Oliveira, rejected both propositions. His rebuttal was “Neither Red nor dead but triumphant Christians marching towards victory.”
Conservatives can reject both tubs of dirty bathwater and keep the clean baby. There is a clean baby but first, the bathwaters need to be defined. Were we to give it a single name, we could find no better one than that given by Our Lady of Fatima: the errors of Russia.
Rejecting the Errors of Russia
Russia’s tub of dirty bathwater is the “errors of Russia.” Conservatives must reject Russia’s totalitarianism, a remnant of the Soviet Union that must be disavowed. We must reject Russia’s abortion, divorce, cohabitation, sexualized culture, among the highest rates in the world. We must reject the rampant drug use and alcoholism which have resulted in substance-addicted babies. We must reject Russia’s secularism of which only 9% attend church with regularity. We must reject its socialist tendencies controlling all resources directly or indirectly.
Above all, we must reject the restrictions imposed on the Catholic church, any resistance to spread the Fatima message, and devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary within Russia.
Rejecting the Errors of Russia in Ukraine
Ukraine's tub of dirty bathwater must be rejected as well. Arguably, many of these elements stem from the errors of Russia, like Ukraine’s high abortion and divorce rate. Also, arguably, the bad elements of the Western and globalized world, so dear to liberals of every ilk, originate from the errors of Russia.
Therefore, conservatives must reject the cultural patterns that will lead to the destruction of Ukraine’s identity in fashion, art, entertainment, and culture. We must reject all elements that will lead Ukrainian society to frenetic intemperance described thoroughly in Return to Order: From a Frenzied Economy to an Organic Christian Society--Where We've Been, How We Got Here, and Where We Need to Go, by John Horvat, II. We must reject new customs and habits that will prevent the upright development of an organic, Christian Society.
Finally, we must defend the growth of Christian tradition and culture, upright and virtuous families, and the preservation of private property.
The Baby Liberals Want To Throw Out
The baby in this metaphor, of course, is Western and Christian culture as passed down from the Middle Ages. It is marked by the spirit of Christ and His cross. Both Ukraine and Russia have a rich Christian tradition that must be restored. This begins by rejecting all the errors promoted by Communist Russia marked by atheism, materialism, egalitarianism, and liberalism. Once done what is left will be a truly Christian and organic society.
Both countries were once joined in union with Christian Europe at the time of St. Vladimir. It is beyond curious that both leaders are named after the Russian people’s first saint. Vladimir is the Russian version while Volodymyr is the Ukranian. Under St. Vladimir’s patronage the first stone church established in Kyiv is dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos (The Mother of God). Until today, both Russia and Ukraine have many Cathedrals dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos (Mother of God) and the Nativity of the Theotokos.
The advancements, inspired by Western Christianity, St. Vladimir the Great brought to the slavic tribes in his newly baptized kingdom are things of legends. It cannot be stressed enough that the key to peace between Russia and Ukraine must be marked by a return to their paternal traditions set by him.
When events in Eastern Europe are analyzed through this prism, conservatives should see a different story emerge. It is no longer the false dichotomy between Putin’s autocracy and the West’s Liberal World Order. It is a choice between the errors of Russia and the conversion promised by Our Lady of Fatima.
If anything else, this war has brought back to the limelight the importance of the conversion of Russia to the Immaculate Heart promised by Our Lady. Peace in the world will only come after Russia’s conversion. The elements of conversion must be clear. It would mean the rejection of all the errors Russia has spread throughout the world causing so much misery and discontent. It means making restitution for all the for all the evils these errors have caused. It would mean that the Russian people will recognize the role of the Immaculate Heart in its conversion. Finally, it would mean that Russia, who demonstrated an unusual aptitude in spreading errors throughout the world, must then dedicate all its resources to spread devotion to the Immaculate Mother as a means of reparation.
In this turbulent conflict, may Our Lady of Fatima act as a North Star to conservatives worldwide, and to all men of goodwill. Any effort that is directed away from Her must be rejected. All effort that leads to Her solution must be promoted.
Sources:
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/russia-ukraine-war-preview-authoritarian-world-order-robert-maginnis
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/these-are-the-american-right-wingers-covering-for-putin-as-russia-invades-ukraine-1311965/
https://newrepublic.com/article/165489/right-wing-media-putin-ukraine
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/feb/25/tucker-carlson-fox-news-russia-putin
https://www.newstribune.com/news/2022/feb/25/russia-conflict-separates-gop-traditionalists/
https://www.georgesoros.com/2022/02/26/we-must-stand-with-ukraine-as-they-stand-with-us/
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-impeachment-inquiry/how-anti-semitic-conspiracy-theory-about-george-soros-fueling-allegations-n1094886
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-vladimir-putin-europe-arrests-moscow-cf5dda5528937de907f8916820cfab75
https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2022/02/25/george-soros-conspiracies-flights-to-safety-social-media-gives-cofounding-view-to-russian-war-on-ukraine/?sh=3017228c18b4
https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/news/world/2022/02/26/landmarks-light-up-for-ukraine/6950918001/
https://www.unian.info/society/10369749-ukraine-ranks-11th-among-34-european-countries-in-overall-religiosity-pew-research.html
Rex Teodosio is a public speaker, writer and documentary producer. He gives tours of talks in the Midwest about the prophecies of Our Lady of Fatima and its relevance. He has given talks for conferences, retreats, youth camps and schools. Since 1993, he has given over 3,000 talks. He has produced several documentaries including, The Christian Institution of the Family: A Dynamic Force to Regenerate Society, which had wide distribution in the UK and Fatima: Messaggio di Tragedia o Speranza? for Luci Sull'Est in Italy. He also writes regularly for Crusade Magazine and for TFP.org. He heads the blog called In Defense of Holy Matrimony.
