Most Ukrainians were shocked and outraged by the public statements of Pope Francis regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war. According to the historian and candidate of political science Andriy Kovaliov, all of this can be easily explained by the peculiarities of the pontiff’s biography.
What is important to know about the political preferences of the Pope of Rome?
The Ukrainian historian draws attention to the fact that Francis is from South America. Previously, he was passionate about communist ideas and generally everything Soviet. It is also worth mentioning that the previous Pope Benedict XVI resigned because of his past, as he was a member of the Hitler Youth and served in the German navy during the war.
Does Francis want to repent for his communist past? Apparently, this has formed a pro-Russian worldview in the Pope. He was very close to the Soviet Union. I suspect that old acquaintances and habits have remained, explains Andriy Kovaliov.
What is important to understand is that even in Ukraine, the leadership of the Catholic Church says that the Pope must be the Pope for everyone, which means he is concerned about the fate of Catholics in Russia. According to an expert, the current situation looks like Putin has taken Catholics in Russia hostage and is now blackmailing the Pope.
Why Francis will never actually visit Ukraine and Russia?
According to Andriy Kovalov’s beliefs, the Pope will not go to Russia because he has not received a political invitation. The Pontiff is also in no rush to visit Ukraine, as he fears missile strikes.
“The Pope of Rome does not have any advisors on Ukraine. Everything that the Pope’s communication advisors try to do has pro-Russian roots. It seems to be done with good intentions, but Russian ears stick out everywhere. It is obvious that the Pope should have an advisor on Ukraine,” said a Vatican historian.
He also reminded that 7 years ago, Francis met with Gundyaev in Cuba, where they declared anti-Ukrainian documents. It refers to the fact that he put his signature on a document stating that the Greek-Catholic Church is a harmful experiment, thus calling Ukrainian representatives of this church “pests.
According to Andriy Kovalyov, in the pro-Russian statements of the Pope, there is actually neither Ukrainian nor Russian interest. The expert believes that he is guided by Vatican’s own political interest.