Pope Francis castigated the "
ferocity
" of Russian troops in the face of a "
brave
" Ukrainian people, while claiming that the war "
could have been provoked
".
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In an interview with European Jesuit journals conducted last month and published Tuesday, June 14 by the Italian journal
La Civilta Cattolica,
the sovereign pontiff refused to "
reduce
" the ongoing conflict to "
a distinction between the good and the bad
".
“
What we see is the brutality and ferocity with which this war is being fought by the troops, usually mercenaries, used by the Russians.
The Russians prefer to send Chechens, Syrians, mercenaries
”, lamented the Pope, who has multiplied calls for peace since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
"
But the danger is that we only see that, which is monstrous, without seeing all the drama that is playing out behind this war, which may have been, in a certain way, provoked or not prevented
,” he said. he nuanced, before condemning the arms industry again.
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”
“
I could be told at this point, 'But you're pro-Putin!' No, I'm not.
It would be simplistic and wrong to say such a thing
,” added the spiritual leader of Catholics, who deemed it necessary to “
reason about the roots and interests
” of this conflict “
which are very complex
.”
“
It is also true that the Russians thought it would all be over in a week.
But they miscalculated.
They have found a courageous people, a people who are fighting to survive and who have a history of struggle
,” said the 85-year-old Argentine pope.
On May 3, in an interview with the Italian daily
Corriere della Sera,
Pope Francis spoke of an "
anger
of the Kremlin having been "
facilitated
" by "
NATO's barking at Russia's door
".