Pope Francis holds the weekly general audience at the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican, January 12, 2022 (Reuters)

In an opinion piece for The Atlantic, American journalist and religious researcher John Allen Jr. wrote that Pope Francis stands against the West's supply of arms to Ukraine.

"Understood in this light, Francis’s position previews the future of the Church as a geopolitical force, one that will be far less acquiescent to the West," he said.

According to the author, the Pope blames NATO for "barking at Russia's door" in an interview for Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper.

The article demonstrated the Vatican's changing traditional philosophy since Rome was always in line with the West and its policies.

Allen believes that even Catholics living outside the West don’t view the war the same as Europe and the US.

This marks, per Allen, the "first multipolar geopolitical strategy" for the Vatican, and thus brings a more concrete conflict between the Global South and the Global North.

Serving 'imperial interests'

In an interview for the Italian-Swiss TV RSI in March, Pope Francis argued that the war in Ukraine has been driven by "imperial interests" stressing that "not just of the Russian empire, but of empires from elsewhere."

The Pontiff also voiced his readiness to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and urged for peace.

However, The Holy See press office released a statement in August 2022 saying that Pope Francis' statements regarding the conflict in Ukraine should not be taken as a political position, but as a "voice in defense of human life."