Ukrainians angry at late Pope Francis over his war statements - Reuters
Date: 2025-04-22 Author: Кирило Загоруйко Categories: COMMUNITY
Ukrainian Catholics are angry at the late Pope Francis, who died on April 21, over his position on Russia's war against Ukraine, Reuters reports.
In Lviv, near the Catholic church, believers expressed grief over the death of Pope Francis, while not hiding their pain over the fact that, in their opinion, he did not support Ukraine in the war with Russia.
In 2024, in an interview with a Swiss media outlet, the pontiff said that Ukraine must have the "courage of the white flag" and seek peace with Russia in order to end the armed conflict.
These words contradicted the official position of the Ukrainian government and its allies, who believe that Russia must be stopped, because its invasion was unprovoked.
"There were certain subjective assessments on his part, unfortunately," said Andriy Ben, a veteran of the Ukrainian troops.
"I am not going to comment on this," he added. "I hope that the next Pope will be wiser, more educated and better."
57-year-old Lviv resident Oleh Yakimyak, leaving the church, admitted that although some of the Pope's words were painful, his merits still prevail.
"We understand that the good things he did are much greater than the painful things he did to us," he said.
Marta Binyshyn, a parishioner of the church, expressed hope that the newly elected pontiff will be more supportive of Ukraine.
"We will see in the image of the next Pope a person who will bring us more light, a little more help for Ukraine and Ukrainians," she noted.
Sofia Fedina, a member of the Ukrainian parliament, honored the memory of Pope Francis on Telegram, but also expressed criticism:
"I myself was critical of some statements, because it is impossible to equate and reconcile the victim and the criminal at the time of the crime. Therefore, I hope that the next Pope will stand up for justice!"
