No need to call Putin by name, everything is clear anyway / Diena

“When I speak of Ukraine, I speak of people who die as martyrs. If there are people who die as martyrs, there is someone who martyrs them. When I speak of Ukraine, I speak of cruelty, because for me there is a lot of information about the brutality of the troops who entered there,” the pope said in response to an interviewer’s request to clarify his position on the war, while many are confused by the pope’s apparent reluctance to directly criticize Russia for its aggression against Ukraine, preferring instead to talk more about the end of the war.

“In general, the most cruel are probably those who come from Russia, but they are not representatives of the Russian tradition – Chechens, Buryats and so on. Surely, the one who invades is the Russian state. This is clear,” the Pope said. .

“Sometimes I try not to be specific so as not to offend, but I condemn in general, even if what I condemn is known. There is no need to name and surname,” Francis explained.

“On the second day of the war, I went to the Russian embassy, ​​which is an unusual gesture, because the pope never goes to embassies. And there I told the ambassador to tell Putin that I wanted to make the trip, on condition that I given a small window of opportunity for negotiations. [Sergejs] Lavrov, the senior foreign minister, replied with a very nice letter, from which I understood that it was unnecessary at this moment.”

“I also thought about traveling, but I made a decision: if I have to travel, I will go to both Moscow and Kiev. To both, not just one place. And I never gave the impression that I was covering up aggression,” Francis said.

“Why didn’t I mention Putin’s name? Because it’s not needed. We already know. But sometimes people become attached to the details. Everyone knows my position with or without Putin, without mentioning him by name”, the Pope summed up.