Pope Francis Apologizes to Russia After Criticizing Russian Soldiers

After a recent interview with America magazine, Pope Francis was accused by Russia of Russophobia for saying “generally, the cruelest are perhaps those who are of Russia but are not of the Russian tradition, such as the Chechens, the Buryats and so on.”

It has now been reported that the Vatican has apologized to the government of Russia for comments made by Pope Francis regarding soldiers fighting in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. This news comes in the wake of statements issued by Russia’s Foreign Ministry, which indicated that the Pope, in an interview with America magazine, had characterized the “cruelest” soldiers involved in the war as being of Chechen and Buryati ethnicity, both of which are groups within Russia.

This statement by Pope Francis was met with condemnation from the Russian Foreign Ministry, with spokesperson Maria Zakharova expressing her disappointment in the Vatican’s decision to offer to host peace negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv in light of these comments. In response, the Vatican press office confirmed that it had utilized diplomatic channels in order to address the situation with the Russian government and issued an apology on behalf of Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, saying “there have been diplomatic contacts in this sense.” In this apology, the Holy See affirmed its deep respect for all Russian peoples.

“The Holy See treats with deep respect all peoples of Russia, their dignity, faith and culture, as well as other countries and peoples of the world.”

During a press briefing, Zakharova stated that the Vatican’s apology had generated sincere respect on the part of Russia and demonstrated the country’s willingness to engage in productive dialogue.

“We believe that the incident is over and we look forward to continued constructive interaction with the Vatican.” 

As a result, the Russian Foreign Ministry has decided to resume constructive interactions with the Vatican. This resolution to the situation is a welcome development, and it is hoped that it will pave the way for improved relations between the two sides in the future.

Pray for peace!

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