Germany has long refused to supply weapons to the region, in line with a policy that prevented Germany providing arms to areas in conflict. But Moscow’s attack on Ukraine led Berlin to ditch the rule.

The Catholic bishops said they expected the struggle for a free Europe would take a long time, in comments made on Wednesday during their annual conference.

Russia’s invasionof Ukraine was an attack on the Europe of democracy, civil liberty and human rights, according to Augsburg Bishop Bertram Meier, chairman of the World Church Commission of the German Bishops’ Conference.

“The confrontation with the forces that have another Europe in mind will not end when the war in Ukraine is over,” Meier added.

He said that supplying weapons to Ukraine was compatible with the Christian doctrine of peace.

The Church’s teaching on peace affirmed the right of self-defence in the event of an attack, Meier said. The fact that Western countries do not want to intervene in the war in order to prevent an even greater conflict is also understandable, he added, calling the situation “a balancing act, a juggling act.”

Meier also praised Poland for providing support to those who are fleeing the fighting in Ukraine. Poland has received the greatest number of Ukrainian refugees, but thousands have reached Germany, too.

The bishops are due to turn their attentions to specific help for refugees in Germany on Thursday. Meier said parishes were very willing to make space available.

Meanwhile peace researcher Heinz-Günther Stobbe said Europe would need staying power to cope with the influx of refugees triggered by the war. People would probably have to be willing to take in refugees for a long time, he said.

He called for a revival of the idea that the international responsibility to protect people includes not only a military response to crimes under international law, but also to care afterwards.