Eng
Esp

Copyright © 2024 Euromaidanpress.com

The work of Euromaidan Press is supported by the International Renaissance Foundation

When referencing our materials, please include an active hyperlink to the Euromaidan Press material and a maximum 500-character extract of the story. To reprint anything longer, written permission must be acquired from [email protected].

Privacy and Cookie Policies.

Vatican removes Pope’s quote about ‘great Russia’ after Ukrainian backlash

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry criticizes Pope Francis for praising ‘great Russia’ in his speech.
bySerge Havrylets
28/08/2023
2 minute read
The imayge shows Pope Francis delivering his midday Angelus prayer on 23 January, 2023. Screenshot: Video by Vatican News.
Vatican removes Pope’s quote about ‘great Russia’ after Ukrainian backlash

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry expressed regret that Pope Francis “is spreading Russian imperial ideas,” which the Kremlin uses to justify the killing of Ukrainians.

In his Facebook post, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spox, Oleh Nikolenko, criticized a quote from Pope Francis’ speech to participants of the X All-Russian Day of Catholic Youth in Saint Petersburg on 25 August 2023.

“Never forget your heritage. You are the descendants of great Russia: the great Russia of saints, rulers, the great Russia of Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, that empire of great culture and great humanity,” Pope Francis said in his address to the Russian youth. “Never give up this heritage. You are the descendants of the great Mother Russia, so go forward with it. And thank you for your way of being, for your way of being Russian.”

Vatican News, the official website of the Vatican, has posted the text of the Pope’s address, but the passage in question was removed from it. At the same time, a video excerpt of the Pope’s speech with this quote is still available online.

“It is with such imperialist propaganda and the “need” to save ‘Great Mother Russia’ that the Kremlin justifies the murders of thousands of Ukrainians and the destruction of hundreds of Ukrainian cities and villages,” The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spox said. “It is very unfortunate that Russian great-power ideas, which are, in fact, the cause of Russia’s chronic aggressiveness, are consciously or unconsciously coming from the mouth of the Pope, whose mission, in our understanding, is precisely to open the eyes of Russian youth to the destructive course of the current Russian leadership.”

In 2022, Pope Francis recognized Russia as the aggressor in the war against Ukraine,  condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and called Ukrainian people “martyrs,” who face the “cruelty” of Russian troops.

Related:

You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this.  We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society. A little bit goes a long way: for as little as the cost of one cup of coffee a month, you can help build bridges between Ukraine and the rest of the world, plus become a co-creator and vote for topics we should cover next. Become a patron or see other ways to support. Become a Patron!

To suggest a correction or clarification, write to us here

You can also highlight the text and press Ctrl + Enter

Please leave your suggestions or corrections here



    Euromaidan Press

    We are an independent media outlet that relies solely on advertising revenue to sustain itself. We do not endorse or promote any products or services for financial gain. Therefore, we kindly ask for your support by disabling your ad blocker. Your assistance helps us continue providing quality content. Thank you!

    Related Posts