This online meeting between Pope Francis and a group of young Russians generated controversy.
The young men and women were participating in the local Youth Day in St. Petersburg, Russia. During the event, they had a meeting with the Pope that lasted several minutes. At the end, Pope Francis was trying to encourage them not to deny their country's history and culture. But he said some remarks that sparked debate among Ukrainian authorities. They expressed their concern that Pope Francis was promoting Russian imperialism.
The Pope said the following:
Do not forget your heritage. You are heirs of great Russia—the great Russia of saints, of kings; the great Russia of Peter the Great, Catherine II; that great, Russian empire of so much culture, of so much humanity.
The Vatican press office issued a statement after the growing debate over these words. It stated that the Pope did not want to praise imperialism, but to encourage young people to preserve and promote what is positive in Russian culture.
This is not the first time Pope Francis' words have prompted criticism from both Russians and Ukrainians. For example, he once described the Chechens and Buryats as Russia's "cruelest" troops and at another moment, he said that Patriarch Kirill should not become Putin's altar boy. On one occasion, Ukrainians were upset when the Pope mourned the murder of Darya Dugina, daughter of Russian political ideologist, Alexander Dugin, or when at the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday, a Ukrainian and a Russian woman walked together carrying the cross.
JRB
TR: KG
