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Pope Francis blamed “armed conquest, expansionism, imperialism” on Thursday and called Putin’s invasion of Ukraine a “cruel and meaningless war of aggression.”
“As a means of contributing to peace among those in conflict, reconciliation between separated Christians has disrupted our world with a cruel and meaningless war of aggression in which many, many Christians are fighting each other. This is one of the most timely considerations these days. “The Pope told a delegation of Orthodox leaders.
Earlier this week, the Pope accused a “barbaric” missile strike in a Ukrainian shopping district, killing 18 people. He said he had “Dear Martyred Ukraine” in his heart every day.
This week’s Pope’s comments show stronger condemnation of Russia’s actions since Putin invaded Ukraine on February 24.
He frowned around the world last month when he suggested to Italy’s Corriere della Serra that “NATO barking at the Russian door” might have forced Russia to invade.
Francisco preaches “Frailty,” “old age,” and health concerns
Then, in an interview released on June 18, the Pope said the war was “probably somehow triggered or unhindered.”
“Someone can tell me at this point: but you agree with Putin! No, they don’t,” he told the Jesuit magazine La Civiltà Cattolica. “It would be simple and wrong to say such a thing. I oppose reducing complexity to the distinction between good and evil without thinking about very complex roots and benefits.”
The Vatican has endeavored to maintain relations with Bishop Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church and Putin’s main ally.
Pope Francis and Kirill met in Cuba in 2016, the first time since the Great Schism of 1054 that the deities and leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church have met in person.
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The two were supposed to meet in Jerusalem earlier this month, but the Vatican canceled the trip in April.
Pope Francis provokes criticism from the Russian Orthodox Church in May, stating that Cyril must be careful not to “transform into a boy at Putin’s altar.”
Reuters contributed to this report.