Vatican Issues Apology to Russia Over Pope Francis 'Cruel’ Minority Soldiers Remarks

Pope Francis has been highly critical of Russia and its President Vladimir Putin for its invasion of Ukraine. However, he also made comments that may have been racist against Russian minority soldiers fighting in Ukraine, and the Vatican has issued an apology for this comment.

According to The Daily Mail, Pope Francis said Russian fighters from certain ethnic minority groups were some of the cruelest Russian soldiers.

The 85-year-old Argentinian made the comments about the minority Chechen and Buryat soldiers during an interview with Jesuit magazine America last November 22.

"When I speak about Ukraine, I speak about the cruelty because I have much information about the cruelty of the troops that come in... The cruelest are perhaps those who are of Russia but are not of the Russian tradition, such as the Chechens, the Buryati and so on," Pope Francis told the magazine.

Russia and Vatican Confirm Pope Francis' Apology

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed on Thursday that the Vatican has already apologized to Russia and now considered the matter closed. She added that she hoped they would have a constructive dialogue between Russia and the Vatican.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni confirmed that there were already "diplomatic contacts to that effect" between Russia and the Vatican.

According to The Guardian, Pope Francis' comments have drawn much criticism from the people of these ethnicities. Soldiers from Buryatia and Chechnya are not Christians nor Catholics, with Buryats being majority-Buddhist while the Chechens are a majority-Muslim people.

Following the release of these comments, Zakharova was one of the first to speak out, saying, "This is no longer Russophobia, it's a perversion on a level I can't even name."

She added, "We are one family with Buryats, Chechens, and other representatives of our multinational and multi-confessional country."

The comments of the head of the Roman Catholic Church also angered some of the biggest critics of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, including the founder of the anti-war Free Buryatia Foundation, Alexandra Garmazhapova.

Garmazhapova noted that she was disappointed Pope Francis made these "racist, inexcusable statements."

Garmazhapova said: "Russia is waging an imperial war started and led by Vladimir Putin, who is by all accounts not a member of an ethnic minority. The pope should condemn him personally, but he decided to sidestep the Russian president."

Garmazhapova added that ethnic Russian troops were also committing various atrocities in Ukraine and that the Russian Orthodox church was one of the biggest supporters of the war.

The Ukraine war has caused a big rift between the two largest Christian denominations: the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church.

That is because while Pope Francis is a huge critic of Putin's war, Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, is backing it and throwing the church's support for Putin.

Pope Francis Struggles to Speak as He Prays For Peace in Ukraine

Last Thursday, Pope Francis struggled to speak while praying for peace in Ukraine as he was overcome with emotion. The incident happened during the pope's appearance at an annual Christmas visit to venerate a statue of the Virgin Mary near the Spanish Steps in Rome's center.

As he arrived at the part of the prayer, Pope Francis reportedly choked up, preventing him from speaking. The pope said, 'I would have liked to have brought you the thanks of the Ukrainian people,' before he started to tremble.

Pope Francis had to stop for 30 seconds before he resumed the prayer for peace in Ukraine, with his voice cracking. The crowd then cheered and urged him to go on after they realized the pope was overcome with emotion.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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