The Vatican has confirmed a report out of Russia that the Holy See apologized for Pope Francis after he angered the Kremlin last month by describing some ethnic minority troops fighting for Russia in Ukraine as particularly cruel. The pope had specifically called Chechens and Buryati troops the “cruelest” on Nov. 29, sparking a stern rebuke from Moscow. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the apology was accepted and that the “matter is now closed.” The Kremlin had accused the pope of “race baiting” and “perversion” over the matter. The Vatican confirmed it had sent an apology but did not share the contents or whether the pope himself had signed off on it.