Pope Francis received Putin at the Vatican, on June 10, 2015. Photo: AP file
with the headline “Moscow opened itself to the Pope’s words: ‘Important conversation with him'”the leading Italian newspaper, the Milanese morning paper “Corriere della Sera” highlights this Wednesday that there was a positive response to the Pope’s calls to find Russian President Vladimir Putin and ask him to stop the war.
The Pope gave an interview to “Corriere” two days ago in which he said Putin called him on the phone in December to congratulate him for his birthday, but did not respond to the Pope’s requests to meet him in Moscow.
“The First Answer”
This Wednesday, the morning paper indicates that the “first response” came on Tuesday via Conciliazione 10, the headquarters of the Russian embassy in the Vatican.
Russia’s ambassador to the Holy See, Aleksandr Avdeyev, told chronicler Sergey Startsev, of the Ria Novosti press agency: “In any international situation, Talking to the Pope is important for Moscow. And the pontiff always is a welcome, desirable interlocutor ”.
Francis and Putin, at a private audience at the Vatican in 2015. Photo: AFP
The newspaper comments. “Nobody came. ‘grand’ not deafening silence from Moscow. Seems more like a base from which to begin”.
On the other hand, the Ukrainian ambassador to the Headquarters, Andil Yurash, is skeptical. Invited to comment by “Corriere”, he replied: “A significant message from the Pope. It is a sin that Putin is deaf not only to Bergoglio’s noble request but also to the voice of his own conscience. Awareness? I quoted something that didn’t exist”.
In this regard, the Archbishop of Moscow and President of the Catholic Bishops of the Russian Federation, Monsignor Paolo Pizzi said: “I think the idea of ​ †‹the meeting is viewed positively by President Putin.”
In his statements two days ago to the director of the “Corriere della Sera”, Luciano Fontana, the Pope indicated that he had sent a message to Putin through Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, twenty days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. .
“We have not received a response yet”Francis commented.
The Argentine pontiff said he called President Zelensky to Ukraine on the first day of the fighting. “But this is not the time to go to kyiv”.
The Pope has repeated this several times is willing to travel to Moscow.
The Pope has repeatedly stated that he is ready to travel to Moscow. Image: AFP file
ang Their concern is Putin at the moment it does not stop. Talking to the director of “Corriere” he also tried to reason about the reasons for the behavior of the president of Russia that led him to a brutal war. “Sure NATO barking at the gates of Russia”Led Putin to react badly and trigger conflict.
“An anger that I don’t know if provoked, but simplified maybe yes”, Reflected the Pope.
Now that the great question of Western arms supply to the Ukrainian resistance is controversial, “the question does not find everyone in agreement, it divides the Catholic world and the pacifists”, writes the director of “Corriere”.
In the face of the question, the Pope said: “I do not know how to answer, I am very far from asking whether the giving of Ukrainians is fair. What is clear is in that land the weapons are examined”.
Jorge Bergoglio said in the interview that “I’m not going to kyiv right now, I have to travel to Moscow first, I have to find Putin first. I am also a priest. What can I do? I do my best. If Putin opens the door … ”
Vatican correspondent
ap
Source: Clarin