Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Pope Francis presented Daria Dugina as "an innocent victim of the war"


 Ukraine's ambassador to the Holy See, Andrii Yurash, reacted to Pope Francis's words during the Vatican's general audience, referring to Daria Dugina as an innocent victim of the war. "They are disappointing. We cannot speak of the aggressor and the victim in the same categories," - said Yurash.

Today’s speech by the Pope was disappointing and made me think about many things: can’t speak in the same categories about aggressor and victim, rapist and raped; how is it possible to mention one of the ideologists of Russian imperialism as an innocent victim? - Yurash wrote on Twitter.

During the general audience in the Vatican, Pope Francis reminded us that Wednesday was six months since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. He encouraged people to pray for peace for "the beloved Ukrainian people who have been suffering for six months because of the horror of war." 

- I want concrete steps to be taken to end the war and avoid the risk of a nuclear disaster. I carry prisoners in my heart, especially those in poor conditions. I am asking the authorities to get involved in their release, - he said.

Pope added: "And I think about the children; so many died. About many refugees; there are many of them. There are so many wounded. So many Ukrainian and Russian children became orphans. Being an orphan has no nationality. They lost their father or mother, both Russian and Ukrainian "children.

- I think about great cruelty, about so many innocents who pay for madness, the madness of all sides, because war is madness, and no one who is in war can say: "no, I am not a madman." - said the Pope.

He added, "I'm thinking of that poor girl blown up by a bomb under the car seat."