The Pope delivered a speech at the Russian Youth Day in St. Petersburg. He emphasized the “cultural heritage” of the “great empire” of Russian Catholics, which Ukraine sees as reinforced in Russia’s justification for an aggressive war.
The Ukrainian government attacks Pope Francis, accusing him of ‘imperialist propaganda” before. The indignation was provoked in Ukraine by a speech that the Pope delivered via videoconference on August 25, on the occasion of the Russian Youth Day in St. Petersburg.
“It is a pity that the ideas of a great Russian power, which in reality are, consciously or unconsciously, the cause of Russia’s chronic aggression, come from the lips of the Pope, whose mission, in our opinion, should be precisely to open the eyes of Russia. Russian youth to the destructive course of the Russian government,” Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko wrote on Facebook.
In the post, Nikolenko quotes an excerpt from the speech: “Never forget your heritage. You are children of the great Russia, the great Russia of saints, of kings, the great Russia of Peter I and Catherine II, of this great empire with great culture and great humanity. Never give up on this legacy. You are heirs of the great mother Russia. And thank you, thank you for your Russian way,” reads the quote from Pope Francis’ speech to the participants of the 10th All-Russian Catholic Youth Day held in St. Petersburg on August 25.
Kremlin spokesman is satisfied
The Vatican responded immediately. “In the greetings that the Pope addressed to some young Russian Catholics in recent days, as the context makes clear, he wanted to encourage young people to preserve and promote the positive of the great cultural and spiritual heritage of Russia, and in no way glorify imperialism. logic and governmental personalities,” emphasized Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov welcomed the Pope’s words. “The Pope knows Russian history and that is very positive. Russia has a history with deep roots,” commented Peskov, quoted by Russian news agency TASS.