HE appeal Pope Francisco Russian youth will honor the legacy of the Russian Empire receipt Ukraine with disappointment and the local Catholic Church is demanding clarification from the authorities. VaticanHe thinks that this is how radical nationalism is fed.
On August 25, the pope spoke from afar with young Russian Catholics gathered in Saint Petersburg.
“You are the descendants of the great Russia: the great Russia of the saints, the rulers, the great Russia of Peter I, the empire of Catherine II, that great, enlightened, great culture and great humanity.Calling on those who received his message to “never ignore this heritage”, the pope thanked them for their “way of being Russian”.
Declaration Received with disbelief in Ukraine. Both of the aforementioned 18th-century Russian rulers played a central role in suppressing the last vestiges of autonomy that the Ukrainian lands of the Empire still enjoyed.
Vatican says Pope Francis does not promote “imperialist” ideas. “As can be seen from the context in which he conveyed them in his greetings to some young Russian Catholics in recent days, The Pope wanted to encourage young people to preserve and develop the positive things in Russia’s great cultural and spiritual heritage, and certainly not to glorify imperialist logic and government figures that are quoted to point to specific periods of historical reference,” said Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican Press Office on Tuesday.
However, this support in Ukraine turned out to be strange, especially in the context of Russia, which continues to want to seize and incorporate Ukrainian lands once again. It took several days for the pope’s words to be verified and for reactions from the local church and government.
These words representworst example of extreme Russian imperialism and nationalism“, announced in a statement andArchbishop Sviatoslav, head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the country’s largest Catholic Church. The statement, released Monday, said there was a risk that these would be interpreted as supporting nationalism and imperialism that led to the war in Ukraine, “a war that brings death and destruction to our people every day”.
“In the context of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, while such demonstrations promote neo-colonial ambitions for the aggressor country, on the contrary, this form of ‘being Russian’ needs to be condemned.” he added. Sviatoslav emphasized that:The Pope’s words caused “deep disappointment” and “pain” in both the Church and Ukrainian society.
Church asks Vatican for “explanation” The archbishop said he expressed hope that the pope’s voice would “hear” as his words contradicted his earlier condemnations of “any manifestation of imperialism in the modern world”.
The statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was also “deep disappointment”. His spokesman explained that the Kremlin used this “imperial propaganda” to justify “the murder of thousands of Ukrainian men and women and the destruction of hundreds of cities and towns in Ukraine”: Oleg Nikolenko, In a statement released late Monday.
Nikolenko emphasized that: The ideas of “Great Russia” lie behind Russia’s “chronic aggression”. He added that it was unfortunate that these words were repeated “knowingly or unknowingly” by the pope, who he believed was precisely the mission of the Ukrainian government to “open the eyes of the Russian youth to the devastating deviation of the current Russian leadership”.
The Pope is “a staunch opponent and critic of all forms of imperialism”
Declaration of the Apostolic Priesthood in Ukraine, The Vatican’s representation in the country rejected such comments. and stressed that Pope Francis “never supported imperialist ideas”. The Pope is “a staunch opponent and critic of all forms of imperialism” Colonialism or colonialism in all peoples and situations, according to one explanation.
Despite his unfortunate words, Ukrainian theologian Kirill Hovorun emphasizes in a blog: Pope Francis continues to “support Ukraine” With his empathy for being the country’s “main ally” in the Global South. According to Hovorun, the pope wants to build bridges with Russian society and his words reflect a “superficial” knowledge of the region’s history.
Although Ukraine is a predominantly Orthodox Christian country, the position of the spiritual leader of the Catholic world is closely watched, and delegations of all kinds, from politicians to the families of prisoners of war, regularly visit it at the Vatican.
Last Wednesday, on the eve of Ukraine’s Independence Day, Pope asks spectators gathered at Vatican to “pray for our Ukrainian brothers” we must not forget those who have suffered so much” and “the suffering Ukraine”.