Russia hit out at the comments by Pope Francis that sought to draw distinction between Russian soldiers who belong to the Russian tradition and those who purportedly do not. Pope Francis had alleged that during the war in Ukraine, soldiers who are “generally Chechens and Buryats” showed the “cruelest” conduct.
Chechens are an ethnic minority in Chechnya, in the north-west of Russia. Buryats are ethnically Mongol, hailing from Siberia. The latter traditionally follow Buddhist and shamanic beliefs.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova condemned the comments, as reported in Ruptly.
“This is no longer Russophobia, it’s a perversion on a level I can’t even name,” she said.
“We are one family with Buryats, Chechens and other representatives of our multinational and multi-confessional country,” Zakharova later wrote on Telegram.
What did Pope Francis say?
In an interview with America Magazine, Pope said that he had much information about the alleged “cruelty of the troops that come in”.
“Generally, the cruellest are perhaps those who are of Russia but are not of the Russian tradition, such as the Chechens, the Buryati and so on. Certainly, the one who invades is the Russian state. This is very clear. Sometimes I try not to specify so as not to offend and rather condemn in general, although it is well known whom I am condemning. It is not necessary that I put a name and surname,” Pope said.
Holodomor tragedy historical antecedent to Ukraine war: Pope Francis
Holodomor, part of wider Soviet famine of 1932-33 that claimed millions of Soviet citizens in present-day Ukraine, was attributed by Pope as “historical antecedent” to ongoing war in Ukraine.
“I believe it is appropriate to mention it as a historical antecedent of the [present] conflict,” Pope said.
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