The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation considers the incident resolved
Photo: REUTERS
A month ago, Pope Francis, in an interview with the American Jesuit magazine America Magazine, mentioned the “brutality of the Russian troops in Ukraine.” But he did not limit himself to general discussions and unexpectedly added that “the cruelest, perhaps, are those who are from Russia, but do not adhere to the Russian tradition, such as Chechens, Buryats, etc. The strange words of the pontiff, most likely, became an involuntary echo of the frenzied Ukrainian propaganda that echoes throughout the world about the “atrocities of the Buryats and Chechens.” Or, perhaps, just as clumsily, the primate of the Holy See tried to soften the Western world’s ferocious attack on everything Russian in an effort to “cancel Russia.”
And on Thursday, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, in her regular briefing, said that the Vatican had officially apologized to Moscow for incorrect statements. “The Holy See has deep respect for all the peoples of Russia, their dignity, faith and culture, as well as for other countries and peoples of the world,” Zakharova read in a statement received from the Vatican.
– The ability to admit mistakes is becoming less common in modern international communication. This situation shows that behind the Vatican’s calls for dialogue is the ability to conduct this dialogue and listen to the interlocutors. We believe that this incident has been resolved, – emphasized the representative of the Foreign Ministry.
It is worth remembering that previously the Vatican offered its mediation for the negotiations on the situation in Ukraine.