Moscow sues Vatican — RT World News
Pope’s comments on Russia’s ethnic minorities were ‘insinuation’, envoy says
The Russian ambassador to the Vatican has filed a complaint against an interview given by Pope Francis, in which he accuses the troops of Chechen and Buryat origin of « cruelty » during Moscow’s military offensive in Ukraine.
Alexander Avdeyev said he went to the Vatican’s diplomatic service on Monday evening to deliver the note.
« I expressed my outrage at such insinuations, » the ambassador said, referring to the pope’s comments. « Nothing can shake the solidarity and unity of the Russian multinational people », he told the RIA Novosti news agency on Tuesday,
In his Monday interview with the Jesuit magazine America, Pope Francis claimed that « the cruellest [among those fighting in Ukraine] are perhaps those who are from Russia but are not of Russian tradition, such as Chechens, Buryatis [sic] etc. »
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova replied that the pontiff’s words were “No more Russophobia. It’s a perversion on a level that I can’t even name.
Alexey Tsidenov, the leader of Buryatia – a Russian Buddhist republic in southeastern Siberia – said Pope Francis’ comments were « Strange to say the least. » Speaker of the Chechen Parliament Magomed Daudov advised the pope to listen to the people of Donbass, for whom Chechens, Buryats and representatives of other nations of Russia have become « saviors ».
A Vatican source told Russia’s Tass news agency on Tuesday that the pope « I did not mean to offend the Russian nations in any way. » The Holy See « greatly appreciates its good relations with Russia and hopes to continue the course towards their development », he underlined.
The Vatican will now verify the accuracy of the translation of the pontiff’s words, according to the source. Pope Francis, who is from Argentina, gave the interview in Spanish and it was later translated into English.
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