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Pope Francis: Russia’s War Against Ukraine Was ‘Perhaps Somehow Provoked’

Francis appears to be digging himself in deeper after his previous comments drew outrage.

Pope Francis sparked outrage last month by suggesting NATO might be to blame for Russia’s war in Ukraine—and now he’s dug himself in deeper with newly released remarks saying the war may have been “provoked.”

The pontiff made the comments in a conversation with editors of Jesuit media last month that was released in full by the journal Civilta Cattolica on Tuesday.

A transcript of the interview shows Pope Francis condemning the “brutality and ferocity” of Russian troops while at the same time appearing to argue that Russian aggression is not the main problem in the war.

“What we are seeing is the brutality and ferocity with which this war is being carried out by the troops, generally mercenaries, used by the Russians.… But the danger is that we only see this, which is monstrous, and we do not see the whole drama unfolding behind this war, which was perhaps somehow either provoked or not prevented,” he was quoted saying.

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Acknowledging that he might be labeled “pro-Putin” for such an argument, the pontiff went on to deny such a charge, saying he was “simply against reducing complexity to the distinction between good guys and bad guys without reasoning about roots and interests, which are very complex.”

“While we see the ferocity, the cruelty of Russian troops, we must not forget the real problems if we want them to be solved,” he said, without expanding on what the “real problems” are.

He appeared to finally remember the plight of Ukrainians later on in the conversation, noting that the Russian military had “miscalculated” in its initial assessment of a quick takeover of the country.

“They encountered a brave people, a people who are struggling to survive and who have a history of struggle,” he said.

“Ukraine is an expert in suffering, slavery, and war. It is a rich country that has always been cut up, torn apart by the will of those who want to take it over and exploit it. It is as if history has predisposed Ukraine to be a heroic country,” he said, adding that “this heroism touches our hearts.”

The 85-year-old pope has repeatedly condemned the war, though he seems to have largely avoided calling out the Kremlin or Vladimir Putin specifically. And though he spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on at least two separate occasions to note that he was “praying” for the country, he has also questioned the supply of weapons to Ukraine, cautioning against the world’s “trade in arms.”

In comments to Corriere Della Sera last month, he suggested the war may have been “facilitated by the West’s attitude” or caused by “NATO barking at Russia’s gate.” In that same interview, he revealed his own efforts to meet with Putin in Moscow—but said his overtures had so far been ignored.

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