'First to Suffer, Last to be Heard' The Role of Women in Christian Religious Diplomacy during Russia's War in Ukraine ["Die zuerst leiden, werden zuletzt gehört. "Die Rolle der Frauen in der christlich-religiösen Diplomatie während Russlands Krieg in der Ukraine]

Elsner, Regina

Abstract

Russia’s war against Ukraine targets women on two levels. On the one hand, and as in most wars, women bear the main burden of displacement, the devastation of infrastructure, militarisation and sexual violence. On the other hand, in this specific war, women are directly threatened by the ideology of the war and the patriarchal system of power. In international relations, the entanglement of both aspects has been addressed by the feminist foreign policy approach, which puts human security at the centre of international conflict transformation and aims for the inclusion and representation of civil society actors at all levels of diplomatic efforts. Religious communities such as the Holy See have a long tradition of participating in diplomatic relations, especially in times of armed conflict. As religion plays a crucial role in Russia’s war, the Holy See was expected to bring some progress in peace negotiations. However, in this specific war, these efforts seem to be impotent. This article argues that the lack of a gender-based approach to this war and its ideology is what, in particular, prevents the Holy See from finding a useful access for mediation. By addressing the question of gender in war exclusively via the victimisation of women, while at the same time ignoring the anti-gender ideology of the Russian aggression and excluding women from being an active part in religious diplomacy, the Holy See fails to understand the dynamics of this war. Thus, it also fails to address its own complicity to the ideology behind the war and to comply with the normative overlap with international relations regarding human security and international solidarity.