Rome, Italy – Pope Francis has criticized the “brutality and brutality” of Russian troops in Ukraine, praising the “valor” and “courage” of Ukrainians as they defend their land.
Francis made some of his most important comments about the war last month in a meeting with European editors of Jesuit magazines, excerpts of which were published Tuesday in the Italian daily La Stampa and Avenir.
Strongly criticizing Russia’s invasion, Francis also emphasized that there were no “good guys and bad guys” and that Russia was in some ways provoked by NATO expansion to the east.
“At this point one might say: ‘But you are on Putin’s side!’ No, I don’t, ”said Francis. “It would be simple and wrong to say so. I am against reducing the difference between good and bad to complexity without thinking about the roots and interests, which are very complex. While we We see the brutality, brutality of Russian soldiers, we must not forget the problems to try to solve them.”
In the interview, Francis confirmed that he hopes to meet Russian patriarch Kirill, who has justified the war, when the two are scheduled to attend an inter-religious meeting in Kazakhstan in mid-September.
A planned meeting in June was called off by both sides, Francis said, “so as not to misunderstand our dialogue.”
“I hope to be able to greet him and have a conversation with him as a pastor,” he said in Kazakhstan.
At the same time, Francis praised the courage of Ukrainians and emphasized their right to defend themselves, while doing what he said was destroying financial interests in the war by weapons manufacturers to “test and sell weapons”.
“It is true that the Russians thought it would be over in a week. But they guessed wrong,” Francis said. “They found a courageous people, a people fighting for survival and whose fighting has a history.”
