Vatican values its relations with Russia, hopes to continue developing ties
It was also pointed out that the Holy See “greatly values its good relations with Russia and hopes to continue the course on their development”
The Vatican highly values its good ties with Russia and hopes to continue its course on developing them further, said a diplomatic source in the country.
According to the source, the Vatican “did not mean to offend the peoples of Russia in any way”. “We will make inquiries, double-check the translations and interpretations,” the source said, commenting on an interview in the Jesuit-published America Magazine, which alleged that Pope Francis made statements about atrocities committed by Russian servicemen during the country’s special operation in Ukraine, including by Chechens and Buryats.
The source also pointed out that the Holy See “greatly values its good relations with Russia and hopes to continue the course on their development”.
Pope Francis earlier admitted in his interview that the “cruelest” in the Russian special operation in Ukraine “are <…> those who are of Russia but are not of the Russian tradition”, namely, Chechens and Buryats. Following these statements, Russian envoy to the Vatican Alexander Avdeev presented a protest to the Holy See. On Monday, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova commented on the pontiff’s statements by saying that his words demonstrated not only Russophobia, but also an extreme perversion of the truth.
However, Pope Francis, upon his return from the Kingdom of Bahrein, commented on the Ukrainian conflict by saying that he did not believe in the Russians’ cruelty because “the Russian people are great”. At the same time, the pontiff admitted that the responsibility lay with “mercenaries who wage war”.
