Why has the Pope been at the center of a new controversy between Russia and Ukraine?

He Pope Francisco He usually makes calls for peace in Ukraine, but one of his last addresses has left him, much to his regret, at the center of a new controversy between Kiev and Moscow and forced the Vatican to make a clarification to try to get out of trouble.

LOOK: The Kremlin welcomes the words of Pope Francis on the legacy of Russia

The origin of the impasse was the speech that Francis gave on August 25 to a group of young Russian Catholics gathered in a church in Saint Petersburg in which he extolled the heritage of “great Russia.”

“They are children of the great Russia, of great saints, of kings, of Peter the Great, of Catherine II, of a Russian people of great culture and great humanity. Never forget this great legacy. You are heirs of the great Mother Russia, go ahead with it”, the Pope said by videoconference.

The Ukrainian reaction was not long in coming. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko called Francis’ language “very unfortunate” and added that “it is with this kind of imperialist propaganda (…) that the Kremlin justifies the murder of thousands of Ukrainians and the destruction of hundreds of Ukrainian cities and towns”.

The Pope told about the Russian people that they are the “heirs of a great empire”.

“Never forget your heritage. You are the heirs of the great Russia: the great Russia of saints, rulers, the great Russia of Peter I, Catherine II, that empire – great, educated, great culture… pic.twitter.com/1cpLpjDBl4

— NOELREPORTS ???????? ???????? (@NOELreports) August 28, 2023

Kiev argues that Russian great power ideas are the cause of Russia’s chronic aggressiveness and that both Peter the Great and Catherine II, 18th-century Russian rulers, played a central role in suppressing the last vestiges of Russia’s autonomy. which was still enjoyed by the Ukrainian territories of the Empire.

Therefore, that these affirmationsconsciously or unconsciously come out of the pope’s mouth, whose mission, in our opinion, is precisely to open the eyes of the Russian youth to the destructive course of the current Russian leaders”Nikolenko said.

Archbishop Sviatoslav, head of the country’s largest Catholic Church, the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, also rejected the pope’s words, saying they represent “the worst example of extreme Russian imperialism and nationalism.”

Russia, for its part, did not miss the opportunity to take advantage of what the pontiff said and this Tuesday the 29th it congratulated itself on Francisco’s statements. “The pontiff knows the history of Russia and that is very good”, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov.

He also stressed that the history of Russia has “deep roots” and its legacy is not limited to Pedro I or Catherine II, something that the State seeks to remind its youth and students. “And that the pontiff is in tune with these efforts is very, very gratifying.Peskov said.

This photo taken and distributed as a handout on May 13, 2023 by the Vatican media shows Pope Francis shaking hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. (Photo: AFP) (HANDOUT /)

A bad gesture?

The Italian historian Gerardo Ferrara, representative of Spanish-speaking Foundations at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome, believes that the Pope’s words caused this controversy, above all, because the situation between Russia and Ukraine is very complex and many expressions can be interpreted differently by both sides.

“In this case, it is necessary to highlight the context of the Pope’s statements, where and to whom he was addressing. The Pope was speaking to the Russian Catholic youth gathered on the occasion of World Youth Day. The Pope was not speaking to the Leninist youth. If the Pope is speaking to Catholic youth he is giving a message of peace, as he always has. In addition, in all the years of his pontificate, Francis has always attacked imperialism very harshly.”, he tells El Comercio.

The expert recalls that the Vatican’s policy in recent times has consisted in seeking reconciliation and that the Pope tried to repair the fracture that had already existed by speaking with the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox in Moscow, Kirill.

“What the Pope said is that young Russians have to remember their roots and he recommended that they never run away from this legacy because they are heirs of the great mother Russia. That concept of the great mother Russia is quite complicated because it includes Ukraine and Belarus. It is a land of borders, with various imperialisms. Ukraine means land of the Russian border. Also, the Moscow Patriarchate was born in kyiv”, explains Ferrara.

Pope Francis often calls for Peace in Ukraine. (Photo: AFP) (ALBERTO PIZZOLI /)

The cultural heritage shared by both countries, which in the past formed a single territory, is undeniable. Mirticeli Medeiros, a researcher on the history of Catholicism at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, points out that when it comes to Christianity, for example, the Russian tradition rooted in Byzantine culture played an important role in the development of Christianity in the past. .

“Russia was even considered ‘The Third Rome’ after the fall of Rome and Constantinople. The problem is not, in my opinion, in recognizing this, but in doing so in the current context of conflict. The Vatican clarified the comment, stating that the pontiff had never intended to exalt Russian imperialism. After all, he did say this to a group of young Russians he met with. However, once again, Francis did not take this delicate scenario into account.”, he comments.

Consequences?

Beyond the historical background, it is clear that the role of the Pope is in question since he has been considered one of the few mediators, at least in terms of his speech, in the ongoing conflict.

Ferrara that Francis’ recent words will not have many consequences for Ukraine because the Pope has never supported a Russian aggression against Ukraine.

“The controversy we see is that perhaps politicians on both sides are trying to use the Pope’s words to their advantage. Russia wants to use them to continue attacking Ukraine. Ukraine wants to use them against Russia and a bit against the Pope”, he adds.

Medeiros adds that the position of the Pope, as head of state, is quite complicated. In the first place, because he is in charge of a State that, due to his actions in soft power, cannot publicly oppose countries with which it maintains relations and Russia is one of them.

“It is a sui generis state that, on the geopolitical tableau, assumes a position of mediation recognized by the international community due to its ‘neutrality’. The Vatican’s position on Russia is very clear: the small state classifies it as an invader, condemns the war and advocates an agreement. But a deal can only happen if both parties are willing. In this case, Ukraine does not want to participate in such an agreement, considering that Russia, as an invader, has no right to impose conditions.“, Explain.

Source: Elcomercio