VATICAN CITY (Washington Insider Magazine) – Pope Francis addressed an Italian publication that he had proposed to come to Moscow to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin in order to attempt to halt the country’s war in Ukraine, and that the invasion may have been sparked by NATO’s eastward expansion.
Francis stated he made the offer 3 weeks after Russia’s invasion through Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, but has yet to get a response.
Francis’ extensive conversation with the Corriere della Sera newspaper highlighted the Vatican’s complex approach on Ukraine, in which it must strike a balance between condemning the crimes and not offending Russia and the Orthodox Church.
Popes have been trying for decades to visit Russia as part of a long-running attempt to mend ties with the Russian Orthodox Church, which broke from Rome over 1,000 years ago. However, no invite has ever been extended.
According to ABC NEWS, Francis spoke to the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, for 40 minutes via video – conferencing in March, and during the first half of the conversation, he recited all of the arguments for the war.
Kirill “cannot turn into Putin’s altar boy,” he continued, referring to a disparaging remark used by a leading U.S. Ukrainian Greek Catholic archbishop.
In recent days, Francis has repeatedly criticized the arms industry and the West’s proposed increases in defense spending. In keeping with Catholic social philosophy, he has also advocated the right of Ukrainians to defend their homeland against Russian invasion. He told Corriere that he felt too far removed from the situation to assess the ethics of rearming Ukrainian armed troops from the West.
He did say, though, that he was attempting to figure out why Russia behaved the way it did.
Francis has recently given a number of interviews to supportive media, highlighting his desire for a cease-fire and attempts to deliver humanitarian aid to Ukrainians. He has justified his choice not to openly criticize Russia or Putin, claiming that popes do not do so. However, in his statements to Corriere, he mentioned Putin by name and seemed to compare the devastation in Ukraine to the genocide in Rwanda a quarter-century ago.
