2023-08-29 23:52:32
In a video ( of the end of the Pope’s speech during a teleconference with young Russian Catholics , published ( on the website of the Catholic Archdiocese of Our Lady of Moscow, Pope Francis said, suddenly switching from a prearranged speech by switching from Spanish to Italian :
“Never forget the legacy. You are the descendants of great Russia: great Russia of saints, of rulers, great Russia of Peter I, Catherine II, that empire – great, learned, great culture and great humanity Never renounce this legacy “You are the descendants of great Mother Russia, take this one step further. And thank you, thank you for your way of being, for your way of being Russian.”
After these words, the Ukrainian foreign ministry criticized the Pope’s words (see here:
In particular, Oleg Nikolenko, spokesman for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, defined Francis’ comments “imperialist propaganda”. “It is with this kind of imperialist propaganda, ‘spiritual connections’ and the ‘need’ to save ‘great Mother Russia’ that the Kremlin justifies the murder of thousands of Ukrainian men and women and the destruction of hundreds of towns and villages Ukrainians.
( Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, head of the Byzantine-rite Catholic Church of Ukraine (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church – UGCC), said he learned of Francis’ statements “with great pain and anxiety.” Shevchuk said Francis’ comments Francis on Peter I and Catherine II are “the worst example of Russian imperialism and extreme nationalism”.
Pope Francis has repeatedly condemned the fighting and recently tasked a prominent Italian cardinal with opening “pathways to peace” in Ukraine. However, Ukrainian diplomats constantly complain that Vatican officials are not harsh enough to criticize Russia and its president.
In response to the cries of the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church ( the Vatican press service replied that it does not see any encouragement to imperialism or colonialism in the words of Pope Francis . The press service also advised the Ukrainian side to interpret in this sense the Pope’s words.
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