Yelensky: The Pope "regrets" his words about Mother Russia
Viktor Yelensky. Photo: Ukrinform
The Head of the State Service for Ethnopolitics, Viktor Yelensky, stated to Radio Svoboda that, according to his information, the Pope "regrets" his words about the glorification of the Russian Empire.
"I also know that the Pope believed that Catherine and Peter (Russian tsars Catherine II and Peter I) were, in the context of Russian history stained with blood, truly Europeans who tried to bring Russia closer to Europe. And that's why he spoke about heritage. But there's no need to justify him by saying he didn't say what he actually said," Yelensky said.
He also recalled that the Pope has repeatedly expressed support for Ukraine but at the same time "attempted to equate the aggressor and the victim of aggression".
As earlier reported, Pope Francis called on Russians to be heirs of the great empire, the great Mother Russia.
Read also
U.S. political analyst: Bishop Budde is a 'tool of Satan'
Political analyst Mark Steyn blasted Episcopal Bishop Budde’s stance on families with gay, lesbian, and transgender children.
Archbishop Anastasios of Albania laid to rest in Tirana
The Primate of the Albanian Church was laid to rest in the crypt beneath the Resurrection Cathedral.
UOJ opens its branch in Albania
The new European organization Union of Orthodox Journalists has opened a branch in Albania.
In Bukovyna, UOC believers appeal to Vance on the eve of OCU’s church raid
The parish also invited a UN monitoring group and an OSCE human rights officer.
Abducted by military commissars, archimandrite reveals TRC detention details
The abbot of the monastery in Babai described the conditions in which clergymen are held in the military recruitment center.
Council of Churches in London discusses religion in Ukraine with British MPs
The meeting addressed religious freedom in Ukraine and the challenges faced by various denominations during the war.