Ukrainian authorities have voiced their concerns over the remarks made by Pope Francis during his recent address to Russian youth, labeling these comments as imperialist propaganda.
The Pope delivered a video speech on Friday to the 10th All-Russian Catholic Youth Assembly in the historic city of St. Petersburg. He explicitly encouraged these young individuals to perceive themselves as heirs of the mighty Russian empire. But this, according to Ukrainian officials, questions the very essence of nationhood and they haven’t taken it lightly.
Never forget your heritage. You are the descendants of great Russia: the great Russia of saints, rulers, the great Russia of Peter I, Catherine II, that empire – educated, great culture and great humanity.
Never give up on this heritage. You are descendants of the great Mother Russia, step forward with it. And thank you – thank you for your way of being, for your way of being Russian.
Pope Francis
Oleh Nikolenko, the spokesperson for Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry, delivered a powerful critique of the Pope’s speech this Monday.
“This is the kind of imperialist propaganda, ‘spiritual bonds’ and the ‘need’ to save ‘Great Mother Russia’ which the Kremlin uses to justify the murder of thousands of Ukrainians and the destruction of hundreds of Ukrainian towns and villages,” Nikolenko said in a Facebook post.
Nikolenko argues that the pope’s main task ought to be raising awareness among Russian youth about the destructive path that their present rulers are taking. However, the pope is endorsing the ‘great power’ concepts of Russia, which are, indeed, the cause of Russia’s consistent aggression.
As quoted by Euronews, the Vatican’s spokesperson Matteo Bruni has clarified that Pope Francis’s intention was to highlight the commendable facets of Russia’s spiritual and cultural heritage, when he lauded Russia’s imperial leaders, Peter and Catherine the Great. The Pope urged the younger generation to reminisce about their historical era, and paid tribute to their distinctive “Russian” characteristics.
Bruni made it clear that Pope Francis did not aim to glorify imperialistic ideologies or political figures per se. The mention of these individuals was made to mark specific historical eras, according to the statement released by Bruni.
Following comments made by His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the head of Ukraine’s Greek Catholic Church, the Vatican and the Holy See’s embassy in Ukraine have voiced their concerns. Shevchuk expressed his dissatisfaction over remarks made by Francis about Russia’s imperial leaders.
In his criticism, Shevchuk mentioned that references to Russia’s imperial leaders could be seen as references to glaring examples of Russian imperialism and extreme nationalism.
He expressed concern that these comments could potentially be interpreted by some individuals as encouragement of the nationalism and imperialism that are, in his view, the main reasons for the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
The pontiff has, in the past, faced criticism for his remarks on the Russia-Ukraine war, said a CNN report.
Last June, the Italian paper, La Stampa, published the Pope’s statement suggesting that the war could have been provoked in some manner or was not effectively stifled.
Additionally, he mentioned that prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he had held a meeting with a very concerned head of state regarding NATO’s actions.
In a controversy in August of the same year, Pope Francis triggered resentment in Kyiv when he labelled Darya Dugina, a Russian political analyst and daughter of a radical nationalist philosopher, as one of the innocent casualties of the conflict after her death from a car bomb in Moscow’s suburbs.
In response to the Pope’s statements, Her Excellency Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine, was summoned by The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine alleging that the Pope’s statement unjustly leveled the perpetrator with the victim.
Ukrainian officials have also claimed to be oblivious to any peace mission planned by the Vatican to mediate the Russia conflict, in response to the Pontiff’s implied involvement.
[sourcelink link=”https://www.euronews.com/2023/08/29/pope-francis-angers-ukraine-after-praising-russias-imperialist-past”]
