Pope denounces Russia’s ‘brutality’ in war ‘which may have been provoked’

Pope Francis said the war “may have been provoked”, while criticizing the “brutality” of Russian troops against the “brave” Ukrainian people.

In an interview given to European Jesuit magazines last month and published today by the Italian magazine ‘La Civilta Cattolica’, the Pope refused to “reduce” the current conflict to “a distinction between good and evil”.

“What we see is the brutality and brutality of this war used by the Russians, often by mercenaries. Russia from Ukraine on February 24.

But the danger is that without seeing all the drama that happened behind this war that may have been somehow provoked or not prevented, we only see this, it’s monstrous. weaponry.

“At this point, some might say, ‘But you are pro-Putin.’ No, I am not. It would be simple and wrong to say such a thing,” added the spiritual leader of the Catholics. reason about the “roots and interests” of this “very complex” conflict.

“It is also true that the Russians thought that everything would be over in a week,” the 85-year-old minister said. -former Argentine pope. .

In an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera on May 3, Francis said the Kremlin’s “irritation” may have been caused by “NATO barking at Russia’s door”.