Details have been released of Pope Francis’ comments about the conflict in Ukraine, regarding which he accused Russian troops of brutality while claiming the invasion violated the right to self-determination.

As reported by Reuters, in the text of a conversation last month with editors of Jesuit media, the Pontiff praised Ukrainians for fighting for their survival.

However, in language likely to alarm many observers, the Holy Father said the situation was not black and white, and the war was “perhaps in some way provoked”. The Pope cited the arms industry as incentivising conflict.

In a message for the World Day of the Poor, the Pope added the Ukraine war involved “the direct intervention of a superpower aimed at imposing its own will in violation of the principle of the self-determination of peoples.”

The Pope is still planning to meet Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church in September. The two had been due to meet this month. The Pope previously warned that Kirill could not become “Putin’s altar boy” given the Patriarch’s support for what has been portrayed by some as a holy war.

The Pope has been criticised in the past for the Church’s seeming accommodation with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) given human rights atrocities committed against Muslims and Christians within China.

Meanwhile, meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year in Rome, there were no reports of any remarks made by the Pontiff about the persecution of Muslims and Christians in India either.

The Holy Father’s comments on Ukraine are likely to lead to even greater scrutiny, with questions about the upcoming meeting with Kirill as well.

Speaking with the Jesuit editors, Francis said that several months before the war in Ukraine began, he met a head of state who expressed concern that NATO was “barking at the gates of Russia” in a way which could lead to war. 

After speaking about potential provocation or failure to prevent the war, the Pope asked rhetorically if that made him “pro-Putin”, something he went on to refute. 

The Pope has previously described the war in Ukraine as a “macabre regression of humanity”, adding that the city of Mariupol had been “barbarously bombarded and destroyed.” At the time however, the Pontiff did not specifically say Russia was responsible for the war or events in Mariupol. 

Whether or not the open dialogue position of the Church with various regimes can be maintained is up for discussion, especially after Hong Kong’s national security police arrested 90-year-old Cardinal Joseph Zen last month. 

The Vatican has been engaged in discussions with Beijing on a power-sharing agreement on the ordination of Chinese bishops. 

Now, with these comments, many Catholics – including those in staunchly Catholic and pro-Ukraine Poland – will be watching closely to see how the Pontiff’s meeting with Patriarch Kirill will go, if indeed it proceeds at all.

Image caption: Pope Francis, seated in a wheelchair following knee treatment, leaves after presiding over the Rosary for peace in Ukraine and end to wars worldwide, on May 31, 2022 at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. (Photo by FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP via Getty Images)

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