Three meetings between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pope Francis focused on literature, among other topics. The Pope expressed this in an interview with an Argentine newspaper. Nation.
A journalist asked him if a person’s personal culture could coexist with “the horrors of war.”
“We talked to him once about literature. He is a man who not only speaks Russian, but also speaks excellent German and English. It’s cultural. Culture is something acquired, not moral beliefs (originally – moral job). These are two different things,” said the head of the Roman Catholic Church.
Francis added that Putin “has been in high-level talks with him”.
Also, the Pope said that the Vatican has a “peace service” with which it is diligently trying to “end” military operations in Ukraine.
He emphasized that he is not ready to visit Kiev if he cannot visit Moscow at the same time. “It is impossible to come to Moscow,” said the journalist, but Francis objected – “this is real” and hopes that he can come to the Russian capital.
Finally, the Pope declared once again that “a global war is back”.
In an interview with the RSI television company on March 10, Francis expressed the opinion that the military conflict in Ukraine is caused not only by the interests of the Russian Federation, but also by other states.
“Not only Russia, but also other empires have imperial interests. The Pope believes it is common for an empire to put nations second.
Francis described what happened in Ukraine as a “world war”. “In a little over a century there have been three world wars: 1914-1918, 1939-1945 and this. <…> All the great powers are intertwined. The battlefield is Ukraine,” he said.
In the fall, the Pope urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to “stop this spiral of violence and death, including for the good of his own people,” and asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to “be open to serious offers of peace.” ”
On September 28, the pope said that hostilities are not between Russia and Ukraine, and that you shouldn’t think of them as a “war of good versus evil” like in cowboy movies. According to Francis, there is a real world war going on. He described Ukraine as the main victim.
“After I spoke [страданиях] I decided to talk about the suffering of two peoples – Ukrainian, Ukrainian and Russian, because in any war people suffer,” Pope Francis added.
The Pope has repeatedly tried to mediate in the resolution of the Ukrainian conflict and urged the parties to peace. In particular, on November 27, the Vatican confirmed its readiness to host negotiations between Moscow and Kiev.