It opens, Pope Francis. And once again he does it with the plane that takes him from Ulan Bator over the steppes of Mongolia back to Rome. A pontiff, tired and exhausted, from obligations but also from suffering. He walks with a cane, then sits down and answers questions.
We start with the words “Great Russia“which unleashed the fury of Ukraine. And he explains that he was not referring to imperialism, but to the culture of Russia, a culture that is dialogue, “and Russian culture should not be abandoned because of political problems,” he emphasizes.
So to the brutal violence that overshadowed the Italian summer, from Palermo to Caivano: “You have to go to the suburbs and work there, governments have to create real social justice.” Then on relations with China: “Chinese citizens must not think that the church is dependent on another foreign power.” On the climate and Engagement of young people: “They think about the future, I like that they fight for the good.”
Then Pope Francis also said a sentence with a smile. A sentence that, however, carries weight and will inevitably reignite speculation about his pontificate: “If I don’t go to Vietnam, John XXIV will go“. The reference refers to the pontiff’s next obligation. And it is also about the possibility that he may not be able to keep it himself. “For me, a trip now is no longer as easy as it was at the beginning, there are restrictions “Go, but let’s see,” Pope Francis concludes, also confirming with words the precarious physical conditions in which he finds himself.