Hiding the aggressor: Pope Francis at Easter in the Vatican
Image: dpa
Many Catholics wonder why Francis does not name Russia as the aggressor. Is the Pope a Putin understander?
Et are unusually drastic words for a pope, even for one whose name is Francis: “Disinformation, slander, defamation and coprophilia” he sees at work in the media of his native Argentina. The reason for this papal tirade was an accusation that Francis has been confronted with elsewhere since the beginning of the Ukraine war: Argentinian media had complained that he was not firmly enough on the side of Ukraine and was too friendly to Putin. They pointed out that Francis had so far condemned neither the head of the Kremlin nor Russia by name as an aggressor – he also avoided doing so on Easter days.
The quoted passage comes from a handwritten letter from the Pope to the Argentine journalist Gustavo Sylvestre dated April 7, which he published on the Internet just before Easter; the Vatican has not disputed the authenticity of the letter. In it, Francis also suggests that some journalists who accuse him of being pro-Putin are paid for such articles.
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