Pope condemns Putin over Russia's 'infantile' war in Ukraine
manchestereveningnews.co.ukPope Francis has said was considering visiting Kyiv as he condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin for launching a “savage” war.
Speaking after his arrival in Malta, he delivered his most pointed and personalised denunciation yet of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Francis did not cite the Russian president by name, but the reference was clear when he said “some potentate” had unleashed the threat of nuclear war on the world in an “infantile and destructive aggression” under the guise of “anachronist claims of nationalistic interests”. “We had thought that invasions of other countries, savage street fighting and atomic threats were grim memories of a distant past,” Francis told Maltese officials and diplomats on the Mediterranean island nation at the start of a weekend visit.
Francis has so far avoided referring to Russia or Mr Putin by name, but Saturday’s personalisation of the powerful figure responsible marked a new level of outrage for the pontiff. “Once again, some potentate, sadly caught up in anachronistic claims of nationalist interest, is provoking and fomenting conflicts, whereas ordinary people sense the need to build a future that will either be shared or not be at all,” he said.
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